The Parliament discussed for the I reading the Draft Law on Protection of Family Values and Minors and accompanying Bills and approved them with 78 votes.

The Draft regulates the issues related to the marriage, adoption and foster care of a minor, resorting to gender-affirming surgery, indication of gender in the state documents, education, dissemination of information, rallies and manifestations, labor relations and ignoring biological gender within these relations.

As the reporter, the Chair of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, Rati Ionatamishvili elucidated, the legal package determines the enforcement mechanisms and establishes May 17 as the Day of the Sanctity of Family and Respect of Parents. As envisaged under the Draft, marriage is a voluntary union of two persons of different biological genders for the purpose of the creation of a family, which meets the legal requirements. Other types of unions shall not be registered as marriage and/or recognized under the legal act.

According to the Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, by approving the Draft for the I reading, the Parliament made a significant decision.

“On May 17, million Georgian citizens, by marching in the streets, confirmed their support to the legal package and their request to the Parliament on the conversion of their voices into the Law. Today, the Parliament made a first step in this direction”, - he stated.