Why LGBTQIA+ Georgians are forced to remain silent

LGBTQIA+ victims in Georgia rarely see justice. Silence has a cost and, at this moment, it is being paid by the most vulnerable.

If the system that is meant to protect citizens actually revictimizes, threatens and often demonizes them, then why would anyone ask them for help?

This is the question widely asked by the LGBTQIA+ community in Georgia. According to reports from non-governmental organizations such as the Equality Movement and state institutions such as the Georgia Public Defender’s Office, although in some cases legal frameworks exist to protect vulnerable groups, these laws appear to exist only on paper.

In practice, the LGBTQIA+ community in Georgia faces not only strong social homophobia, but also institutional neglect.

So why would an LGBTQIA+ individual in Georgia go to the police if the outcome would be even more harmful?

Revtimization by authorities

The reason why LGBTQIA+ individuals avoid reporting to the police is not difficult to understand. Based on the experience of others, they fear that the police will treat them as perpetrators rather than victims.

This fear is not far from being real. The 2024 Human Rights Report by the Public Defender of Georgia reveals numerous cases in which the police not only failed to protect them, but also contributed to their revictimization.

According to the same report, this happens through the refusal to register complaints, dismissive attitudes or the indifferent and superficial treatment of hate crimes. The police either side with the attacker or fail to act. This sends a clear and disheartening message: remaining silent may be safer than seeking justice.

The impact of the ‘Family Values ​​and Protection of Minors’ law

But could this distrust in law enforcement get worse? Unfortunately, yes. The recent approval of the law on Family Values ​​and Protection of Minors has increased this fear.

What was your intention? For the ruling party, Georgian Dream, the law is a tool for institutionalized homophobia that could bring it more votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 26th.

According to former Public Defender Nino Lomjaria, the law deepened the feeling of insecurity within the community, suggesting that LGBTQIA+ individuals should not exist in this country.

Lomjaria argues that this law not only restricts the public expression of LGBTQIA+ identities, but also creates an environment of legally sanctioned hate. In such a context, reporting hate crimes seems pointless, especially when the law says that LGBTQIA+ individuals do not belong.

Why would anyone report a crime when the system tells them they have no right to exist?

Leakage of personal information: the risk of exposure

Another serious issue is added to this mix: the fear of being discovered. Many LGBTQIA+ individuals in Georgia are not committed to their families or broader communities. The simple act of filing a report can expose them, leaking personal information that can lead to harassment, ostracism or worse.

In this case, many are left homeless, unable to find accommodation, unemployed or unable to find a job due to their sexual orientation. So this could dehumanize them even more.

Is it worth risking someone’s safety and identity to file a report that will likely be ignored? The answer for many is no.

Reporting: a tool for statistics, not justice

Unfortunately, reporting has become more about creating statistics than ensuring justice. Although some NGOs encourage community members to report hate crimes to the police, this does not mean that the State guarantees justice, but it has more of a statistical purpose for NGOs to use later in their reports and attract international attention.

LGBTQIA+ victims rarely see justice and their cases become mere entries in annual reports that do not even correspond to the real number of crimes committed.

According to the Public Defender’s Office report, the majority of cases remain unsolved, leaving victims without closure or justice.

Does this serve the community? No way. This perpetuates a cycle of reporting without action.

What needs to change?

So, if reporting to the police doesn’t do any good, what’s the solution?

Comprehensive social and systemic reform is needed. The Public Defender’s Office recommended improving police training on LGBTQIA+ issues. But is training enough? Difficultly. Fundamental cultural change within and outside the police force is crucial, as is an attitudinal shift that recognizes the rights and dignity of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

More broadly, we need to ask why LGBTQIA+ issues are disappearing from governmental and non-governmental agendas. Have they become too politically dangerous to discuss? Absolutely. In recent years, these issues have been taboo and marginalized by both civil society and the media.

The opposition also remains silent, some of them worried that speaking out will cost them votes in a deeply conservative electorate and others simply thinking there is no need for change.

But this silence is part of the problem. The more we refuse to talk about these issues, the stronger social homophobia becomes.

The decision to report a crime carries serious risks for Georgia’s LGBTQIA+ community. With the recent approval of the Family Values ​​and Protection of Minors Law, their situation has become even more uncertain. They are being pushed further into the shadows and reporting crimes seems more like an invitation to more harm than a path to justice.

By focusing too narrowly on police training, the Public Defender’s report risks giving the impression that small reforms can fix a system that is fundamentally broken.

This emphasis on police training misses the point. LGBTQIA+ individuals do not need better trained police officers; they need fundamental legal protections that recognize their humanity. A simple procedural reform would not help them, but a complete transformation of the legal and social landscape in Georgia, which recognizes and protects them as full citizens, could definitely be helpful.

However, before reaching this point, civil society, the media and political actors must stop shying away from these issues and confront them head on. Silence has a cost and, at this moment, it is being paid by the most vulnerable.

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