First LGBT Pride March Held In Georgia Despite Security Concerns

LGBT activists staged Georgia's first pride parade amid heavy security in the capital, Tbilisi. About two dozen marchers gathered outside the Interior Ministry for a 30-minute demonstration on July 8, after the event was halted earlier in the day due to security concerns. A counterdemonstration took place, but the groups remained apart. Georgia’s influential Orthodox Church had criticized plans for the parade, saying the LGBT lifestyle was a "sin" that goes "against the Christian faith, traditional religious teachings, and moral values." The march had been originally planned for June 22 but organizers postponed it after a violent police crackdown against anti-Russian political protesters in the capital.