Queer Rights

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Ali Malikov (left) and Parvin Alakbar (right). Photos via social media.

Azerbaijan

OC Media contributor and Azerbaijani queer activist faces extradition from Turkey

by OC Media

•2 min read

Ali Malikov, an Azerbaijani queer rights activist and OC Media contributor, along with their transgender Azerbaijani friend, have been detained in Turkey after joining a feminist demonstration. They could face deportation from the country. Ali Malikov and their friend Parvin Alakbar were detained in Istanbul after taking part in a march commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November. Alex Shah, an Azerbaijani transgender activist and journ

Seymur Babayev dressed as his drag persona Lady Slim. Photo: Alex Shah

Azerbaijan

Drag, resistance, and identity: the journey of Azerbaijan’s first drag queen

by Alex Shah

•5 min read

In Azerbaijan, where queer people are marginalised and forced to express themselves only privately or in the confines of their own homes, there is only one publicly visible drag performer, known by the stage name Lady Slim. For Seymur Babayev, the first drag performer in Azerbaijan, his drag persona Lady Slim is ‘energetic, stage-loving, a little shy, a little cheeky, and a little crazy’. Babayev realised from a young age that he was different from others. He thought differently from ot

Bidzina Ivanishvili. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Georgian officials brace for further sanctions

by OC Media

•2 min read

The threat of further Western sanctions against Georgian officials over democratic backsliding in the country has led to reports of alarm within the ruling Georgian Dream party, weeks ahead of parliamentary elections. On Wednesday, TV channel Formula reported citing confidential sources that bank accounts abroad belonging to the children of Georgian Dream founder and billionaire, Bidzina Ivanishvili, had been limited. TV station Mtavari Arkhi also reported on Wednesday that Ivanishvili h

Salome Zurabishvili. Photo: via Facebook.

2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Zourabichvili refuses to sign Georgian queer propaganda law

by OC Media

•3 min read

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has refused to sign the queer propaganda law passed by parliament, nor has she used her presidential powers to veto it. On Wednesday, the presidential administration confirmed to OC Media that the president did not sign the law ‘on protection of family values and minors’. The legislation, passed by parliament on 17 September, would be far-ranging, affecting education, healthcare, media, business, and public gatherings, and would demonstratively prohib

Left photo: Mindia Gabadze/Publika; right photo via Tabula.

Crime

Georgian President attends funeral of murdered trans woman Kesaria Abramidze

by Shota Kincha

•1 min read

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has attended the funeral of Kesaria Abramidze, a trans media personality and model who was murdered last week. Abramidze was laid to rest at a ceremony in Tbilisi on Sunday. She was also commemorated in Antwerp, a Belgian city that is home to a number of queer refugees and asylum seekers from Georgia. The Georgian Orthodox Church refused to provide burial services for Abramidze due to her transgender identity. Abramidze’s former partner, 26-year-old

Kesaria Abramidze. Image: Erti ambavi merikostan/Facebook.

Crime

Heartbreak in Georgia after murder of prominent trans woman

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

The high-profile murder of trans media personality and model Kesaria Abramidze has led to an outpouring of grief and anger in Georgia, with many linking her murder to the ruling party’s transphobic rhetoric and legislation. Hours after the initial news broke on Wednesday evening, the Interior Ministry confirmed 37-year-old Abramidze was killed after receiving multiple knife wounds following an altercation in her home in Didi Dighomi. They also confirmed that they had detained a primary susp

A Tbilisi Pride protest outside the parliament in July 2023, after homophobic groups destroyed the site of a planned Pride festival. Organisers lay items damaged at the site on the steps of Parliament. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media

Freedom of Assembly

Georgian parliament adopts homophobic laws

by OC Media

•2 min read

Georgia’s parliament has adopted the ruling party’s homophobic legislative package in its third and final reading, banning ‘LGBT propaganda’, same-sex marriage, and gender affirming medical treatment. At the plenary session held on Tuesday, 84 MPs from the parliamentary majority voted in favour of adopting the draft law in the third and final hearing, with none voting against it. They also voted on projects connected to the law, which similarly received the support of the majority. Around