Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Objects To Proposed Anti-Discrimination Law That Includes Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

The nation of Georgia has entered a Visa Liberalization Action Plan which envisions a number of reforms in order for the country to obtain visa-free status in the European Union.  As reported by Civl.ge, one of those reforms involves adoption of anti-discrimination legislation. Parliament passed the bill on its first reading on April 17. It is coming up this week for its second reading.  Yesterday Georgian Orthodox Church Patriarch Ilia II issued a statement objecting to the inclusion in the bill of sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited grounds for discrimination. The statement, asking the government to delay action on the bill, says in part:

Proceeding from God’s commandments, believers consider non-traditional sexual relations to be a deadly sin, and rightly so, and the anti-discrimination bill in its present form is considered to be a propaganda and legalization of this sin.