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LGBTQIA+ victims in Georgia rarely see justice. Silence has a cost, and right now, it is being paid by the most vulnerable.
If the system that is meant to protect citizens actually revictimises, threatens, and often demonises them, then why would one ask for help from them?
This is the question widely asked by the LGBTQIA+ community in Georgia. According to reports from non-governmental organisations such as the Equality Movement and state institutions such as the Public Defender of Georgia, even though in some cases there are existing legal frameworks in place to protect vulnerable groups, these laws seem to exist solely on paper.
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In practice, the LGBTQIA+ community in Georgia faces not only strong societal homophobia but also institutional neglect.
So, why would an LGBTQIA+ individual in Georgia go to the police if the result is further harm?
Revictimisation by law enforcement
The reason why LGBTQIA+ individuals avoid reporting to the police is not hard to understand. Based on the experience of others they are afraid the police will treat them as perpetrators rather than victims.
This fear is not far from real at all. The 2024 report on human rights prepared by the Public Defender of Georgia reveals numerous cases where police not only failed to protect them but also contributed to their revictimisation.
According to the same report, this happens through refusal to register complaints, dismissive attitudes, or the indifferent, superficial handling of hate crimes. The police either take the side of the aggressor or fail to take action altogether. This sends a clear, disheartening message: remaining silent might be safer than seeking justice.
The impact of the ‘Family Values and Protection of Minors’ law
But could this mistrust of law enforcement get any worse? Unfortunately, yes. The recent passage of the Family Values and Protection of Minors law has escalated this fear.
What was its intent? For the ruling party, Georgian Dream, the law is a tool for institutionalised homophobia that could bring it more votes in upcoming parliamentary elections on October 26.
According to former Public Defender Nino Lomjaria, the law has deepened the sense of insecurity within the community, suggesting that LGBTQIA+ individuals should not exist in this country.
Lomjaria argues that this law does not just restrict the public expression of LGBTQIA+ identities but also creates a legally sanctioned environment of hate. In such a context, reporting hate crimes feels 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?
Leaking personal information: The risk of exposure
Another grave issue adds to this mix: the fear of being outed. Many LGBTQIA+ individuals in Georgia are not out to their families or broader communities. The mere act of filing a report can expose them, leaking personal information that could lead to harassment, ostracism, or worse.
In this case, many are left homeless, not being able to find accommodation, unemployed or not being able to get employed due to their sexual orientation. So, this could dehumanise them even more.
Is it worth risking one’s safety and identity to file a report that will likely be ignored? The answer for many is a no.
Reporting: A tool for statistics, not justice
Sadly, reporting has become more about creating statistics than securing justice. Even though some NGOs encourage community members to report hate crimes to the police, this does not mean that the state ensures justice, but it has more of a statistical purpose for NGOs to use it in their reports later and to attract international attention.
LGBTQIA+ victims rarely see justice, and their cases become mere entries in annual reports which does not even correspond to real number of committed crimes.
According to the Public Defender’s report, most cases remain unresolved, leaving victims without closure or justice.
Does this serve the community? Not at all. It perpetuates a cycle of reporting without action.
What needs to change?
So, if reporting to the police serves no purpose, what is the solution?
A comprehensive social and systemic reform is required. The Public Defender has recommended improved training for police officers on LGBTQIA+ issues. But is training enough? Hardly. The fundamental cultural shift within the police force and beyond is crucial, also a change in attitude that recognises the rights and dignity of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
More broadly, we need to ask why LGBTQIA+ topics are disappearing from both government and non-governmental agendas. Have they become too politically dangerous to discuss? Absolutely. In recent years, these issues have been tabooed, and side-lined by both civil society and the media.
The opposition, too, remains silent, some of them afraid that speaking out will cost them votes in a deeply conservative electorate and the others simply think there is no necessity of change.
But this silence is part of the problem. The more we refuse to talk about these issues, the stronger societal homophobia becomes.
The decision to report a crime comes with serious risks for Georgia’s LGBTQIA+ community. With the recent passage 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 feels more like an invitation for further harm than a path to justice.
By focusing too narrowly on police training, the Public Defender’s report risks giving the impression that minor reforms can fix the system that is fundamentally broken.
This emphasis on police training misses the mark. LGBTQIA+ individuals are not in need of better trained police officers; they need fundamental legal protections that recognises their humanity. Just a procedural reform would not help them, but a complete transformation of the legal and social landscape in Georgia, one that recognises and protects them as full citizens, could definitely be helpful.
However, before getting to this point, civil society, media, and political actors should stop staying away from these issues and confront them head-on. Silence has a cost, and right now, it is being paid by the most vulnerable.
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