Equality Movement” responds to the homophobic statement made by the Minister Tea Tsulukiani

“Equality Movement” responds to the homophobic statement made by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, Tea Tsulukiani on March 30, 2021, in the program “Imedis Dila” on Imedi TV.

During the discussion of the funding of the artists, the host of the show mentioned the film “And Then We Danced” as an example, to which Tea Tsulukiani replied: “If the support implies an example of the minister who is still propagandizing what she does not like, in such case don’t expect support from my side, because I am also, do not forget, a spectator.”

The romantic relationship of same-sex people is full of challenges and barriers, therefore a description of social pressure and/or a discriminatory environment as “propaganda” is a common practice of political homophobia and hate speech. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Tea Tsulukiani has used hate and discriminatory language against LGBTQ people. In 2018 during the Imedi TV, she responded to criticism of her work as Minister of Justice with a transphobic comment: “Non-governmental organizations are asking me to register a person in the civil registry with the men organs as a female, and the person with the female organs as a male”.

LGBTQ people are one of the most vulnerable groups of our society. Violence and discrimination against LGBTQ persons take place at home, in schools, and in institutions. For years, the government has failed to design and provide effective policies based on community needs, leaving LGBTQ people to experience violence, discrimination, and inequality on the daily basis. Making a homophobic statement by high-ranking political officials aggravates the legal status of LGBTQ people and encourages organized violence groups. We would also like to mention that the film projects are funded by the National Film Center via developed criteria and a jury board. Statements such as those of the Minister are detrimental to this process and hinder the development of freedom of creation in Georgia. Freedom of creation is a precondition for presenting social issues, including LGBTQ issues, in a variety of ways in cinematography.

It is important for Tea Tsulukiani and other political figures to understand their political status and abstain from using discriminatory language and hate speech during public speaking and/or positioning themselves.