Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Abkhazia face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents.
Status
According to a 2018 Freedom House report, LGBT people "do not enjoy comprehensive legal protections". The report further states that "social mores in Abkhazia are conservative; taboos remain against “nontraditional” lifestyles, including homosexuality and gender nonconformity". According to Equaldex, homosexuality has been legal in Abkhazia since 1991.
In November 2021, a rainbow flag being displayed at a school in Sokhumi on International Day for Tolerance caused a scandal that was addressed by the Ministry for Internal Affairs.
History
In 1933, Article 121 was added to the Criminal Code, for the entire Soviet Union, that expressly prohibited male homosexuality, with up to five years of hard labor in prison. It is no longer in effect in the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
See also
- Human rights in Abkhazia
- LGBT rights in Georgia
- LGBT rights in South Ossetia
References
