“It’s simply unsafe there.” says Nat Lyakh of their home country of Russia. Lyakh, like many Russian LGBTIQA+ people fled the country and moved to neighbouring Georgia and now lives in its capital Tbilisi.

As a non-binary trans person, they are used to facing discrimination based around their sexuality and gender, but in Georgia they also face a growing antagonism towards Russians. It’s a situation that SBS reporter Evan Williams investigates on this week’s edition of Dateline. 

With the war in Ukraine, increasing crackdowns on the LGBTIQA+ community and limited opportunities, Nat Lyakh shares that their family understood their decision to leave the country.

While Georgia is welcoming queer refugees into the country there are fears that growing Russian influence inside the country, the power of the Georgian Orthodox Church and growing conservatism in the country will crush it’s tiny LGBTIQA+ community. In recent month’s the church has called for the introduction of anti-propaganda laws similar to those that exist in Russia.

Giorgi Kikonishvili, a gay activist and the co-founder of one of Tbilisi’s few gay bars, shares his thoughts on the situation as the country teeters between joining the European Union or introducing a more hardline Russian style approach. Kikonishvili thinks the country is changing and hopeful that in the future life for the LGBTIQA+ community will improve.

For refugees from Russia, and Georgia’s own LGBTIQA+ community, the thought of tougher laws being introduced makes them wonder where they will go next.

Tune into SBS on Tuesday night at 9:30pm to see Evan Williams report on LGBTIQA+ life in Georgia. 

OIP Staff

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