For the first time ever, we visited Georgia and Armenia to meet our member organisations, spend time with local lesbian communities, and get to know more closely the amazing work happening on the ground.
Georgia and Armenia are both part of the South Caucasus, a region with a long history of Russian imperialism, colonisation and Soviet rule.
The impact of Russian colonialism is far from over.
Georgia continues to face Russian military occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, while Armenia is still dealing with the consequences of the wars over Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), including the forced displacement of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians in 2023.
Both countries continue to struggle for sovereignty, self-determination and the right to pursue their own paths towards Europe, free from Russian political interference.
In Georgia, we met with our member organisations:
- Lesbian Resistance,
- Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG),
- Cheers Queers,
- Puss Pussy,
We also had the chance to talk with more than 30 lesbian community members from different regions of the country.
The situation described by our sisters from Georgia is extremely difficult with anti-LGBT laws, the so-called “foreign agents” legislation and growing repression of civil society, lesbian* organisations in Georgia are fighting for their very survival.
Forced to cut staff and resources, activists continue their work largely on a voluntary basis: organising communities, conducting research, preserving queer history, providing community care and finding new ways to resist.
In Armenia, we met with our member organisations:
- Queer Sister,
- Pink, QueerLab
- and Feminist Library.
We had the chance to join 3 days lesbian gathering organised by Queer Sister, bringing together around 60 lesbians from across Armenia!
The current political situation in Armenia gives us some hope for future progress on lesbian rights. But we also know how fragile this hope is.
Political changes don’t automatically mean better protection for our communities, and any progress can be reversed very quickly.
There is room for hope, but no room for complacency. The struggle for our rights continues.
