According to the Georgian news agency Interpress, parliamentary faction leader Mamuka Mdinaradze plans to submit the law next week. His social-democratic party, Georgian Dream, is very conservative when it comes to LGBT+ issues.
Even though the law has not yet been submitted, Mdinaradze is convinced that opponents are being "trained" to oppose it. He points to "Pride" events and the United Nations Development Fund as examples. He therefore calls on these organisations to "understand well what they are supporting." According to him, minority rights and "harmful LGBT+ propaganda" should not be confused with one another. This has been the stance of Georgian Dream for some time. Former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, for example, referred to "a catastrophe" in the Western world as a result of LGBT+ emancipation.
The content of the law is not yet clear, but the reference to the LGBT+ emancipation movement as "propaganda" originally comes from neighbouring Russia. There, this law is used to restrict the freedom of expression of LGBT+ individuals. The official rationale behind this is that children should be "protected" from it, but it now extends to all forms of expression within the community.
The Georgian ombudsman is concerned about the bill and calls for the protection of constitutional rights. The European Union has also previously expressed concerns about LGBT+ rights in the country. Furthermore, restricting LGBT+ rights could hinder potential accession to the European Union, something that the majority of the population actually desires.