In pictures: Russia looms large over Georgia's LGBTQ community
In pictures: Russia looms large over Georgia's LGBTQ community - Georgian society is very conservative and the Orthodox Church, as well as many politicians, still have strong connections to Russia,” said Natia Gvianishvili, a lesbian activist and member of the Women’s Initiatives Supportive Group, a self-described feminist organization founded in 2000 to fight for women’s rights. Russia has used prejudice against the LGBTQ community as a way to rally support among Georgians, claiming the country is at risk of becoming a “temple of decadence and “homosexuality” if it continues to seek closer ties with the EU, a path that includes enshrining protections for minority groups. “Russian leadership is manipulating Orthodox values to drive Georgia out of the West,” said Andrey Makarychev, a visiting professor at the Johan Skytte Institute for Political Studies at the University of Tartu.