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Georgia’s parliament approves law curbing LGBTQ rights

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Georgia’s parliament approves law curbing LGBTQ rights


‘Family values’ bill is adopted despite being denounced by the president, rights groups and the European Union.

Georgian politicians have approved the third and final reading of a law on “family values and the protection of minors” that would impose sweeping curbs on LGBTQ rights.

The bill, adopted on Tuesday, would provide a legal basis for authorities to outlaw Pride events and public displays of the LGBTQ rainbow flag, and to impose censorship of films and books.

It also bans gender transition, adoption by gay and transgender people, and nullifies same-sex marriages performed abroad on Georgian territory.

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In a vote boycotted by the opposition, politicians from the ruling Georgian Dream voted 84 to 0 to approve the bill along with related amendments to a number of other laws.

Leaders of the governing Georgian Dream party say it is needed to safeguard “traditional moral standards” in Georgia, whose deeply conservative Orthodox Church is highly influential.

Tamara Jakeli, director of the campaign group Tbilisi Pride, said the bill, which also restates an existing ban on same-sex marriage and bans gender reassignment surgery, would likely force her organisation to close its doors.

“This law is the most terrible thing to happen to the LGBT community in Georgia,” Jakeli, 28, told the Reuters news agency. “We will most likely have to shut down. There is no way for us to continue functioning.”

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, whose powers are mostly ceremonial, has been a critic of Georgian Dream and indicated that she will block the bill.

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However, Georgian Dream and its allies have enough seats in parliament to override her veto.

LGBTQ rights are a fraught topic in Georgia, where polls show broad disapproval of same-sex relationships, and the constitution bans same-sex marriage.

Participants in Tbilisi’s annual Pride marches have come under physical attack by anti-LGBTQ protesters in recent years.

The issue has become more prominent ahead of the upcoming October 26 election, where Georgian Dream is seeking a fourth term in office and is campaigning heavily against LGBTQ rights.

The governing party, whose top candidate for the election is billionaire and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has deepened ties with neighbouring Russia as relations with Western countries have soured.

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Earlier this year, it passed a law on “foreign agents” that European and United States critics said is authoritarian and Russian-inspired. Its passage prompted some of the largest protests that Georgia has seen since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Opinion polls suggest the party, which in 2014 passed a law banning anti-LGBTQ discrimination before later pivoting to more conservative positions, remains Georgia’s most popular, though it has lost ground since 2020, when it won a narrow majority in parliament.

In one governing party advertisement aired on Georgian television, Pride director Jakeli’s face is shown alongside the words: “No to moral degradation”.

The European Union has said the bill’s adoption would have “important repercussions” on EU-hopeful Tbilisi’s European integration path and “will place further strain on EU-Georgia relations”.

“The EU recalls that Georgia’s accession process is de facto halted and urges the authorities to recommit to the EU integration path,” the EU has said.

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Georgia Tech Athletics Receives a Pair of $10 Million Gifts

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Georgia Tech Athletics Receives a Pair of  Million Gifts


THE FLATS – Two generous, anonymous families have each given $10 million gifts to support Georgia Tech athletics’ Full Steam Ahead initiative and the Yellow Jackets’ football program, Tech vice president and director of athletics Ryan Alpert has announced.

“We’re incredibly grateful to these two generous families for their investments in Georgia Tech athletics and a championship-level football program,” Alpert said. “Led by these families, their relentless investments in our mission and their belief in our upward trajectory, support of Georgia Tech athletics and Tech football are at unprecedented levels.”

With these transformative gifts, Georgia Tech athletics is well on to set a new fundraising record in the 2026 fiscal year, as donor participation is up 21% in just six months since the fiscal year began on July 1.

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Additionally, in just 14 months since the public launch of Full Steam Ahead in October 2024, Tech athletics has received nearly $90 million in new commitments to the initiative. In total, nearly $400 million has been raised towards Full Steam Ahead’s $500 million goal, which is a part of the Institute-wide Transforming Tomorrow campaign.

Georgia Tech continues to display its commitment to fielding nationally prominent, championship-level athletics programs. Notably, Tech athletics has committed to making more than $150 million in investments to its football program over the next several years, which includes the opening of the Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center in the spring (a state-of-the-art facility that will benefit Georgia Tech’s full body of 300-plus student-athletes), a renovation of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field that will be completed prior to the 2027 season, a continued pledge to provide maximum revenue sharing to student-athletes and significant new resources devoted to expand and enhance staff.

To fulfill these commitments, enhanced engagement and support from the Georgia Tech community is vital.

“We still have progress to make to achieve our goal of consistently competing for championships at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics,” Alpert continued. “Never in the history of college athletics has success been so closely tied to resources, and now is the time to seize the opportunity to take advantage of the great momentum and energy that we’re experiencing on The Flats.

“Every member of the White and Gold community can play a part. We urge fans to get in the game. Whether it be through gifts to the A-T Fund, purchasing tickets and merchandise, corporate sponsorships – every manner of support is vital to the success of Tech athletics.”

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For more information and to make a year-end gift to the A-T Fund, visit atfund.org.

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

Fourth Quarter

Less than two weeks remain for the Georgia Tech community to take advantage of the A-T Fund’s year-end Fourth Quarter Initiative, which gives supporters the opportunity to receive four A-T Fund priority points for every $100 donated to the Athletic Scholarship Fund through Dec. 31. The Athletic Scholarship Fund provides direct support for student-athletic scholarships and is one of the A-T Fund’s highest annual priorities, as it helps bridge the gap between endowment returns and scholarship costs.

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Fourth Quarter gifts to the Athletic Scholarship Fund will provide donors with four A-T Fund priority points per $100 donated, which is double the two points normally allotted per $100 given. A-T Fund priority points are used to allocate benefits such as seat locations and parking for Georgia Tech athletics home events, as well as access to tickets for away games and postseason events, including ACC and NCAA Championships, bowl games and the College Football Playoff. To contribute to the Fourth Quarter Initiative and begin collecting four A-T Fund priority points for every $100 donated, click HERE. For more information, visit atfund.org/4th-quarter.

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on XFacebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.





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DA Fani Willis appears before Georgia Senate panel

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DA Fani Willis appears before Georgia Senate panel


Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies before a Georgia State Senate committee in Atlanta as she ends her year-long legal fight over a subpoena and defends her actions in the Trump election interference case.

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One of Georgia Tech’s best, Haynes King readies for Yellow Jackets finale

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One of Georgia Tech’s best, Haynes King readies for Yellow Jackets finale


Georgia Tech

A day after receiving ACC honors, Tech’s senior quarterback refocuses on BYU and the bowl game.

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (center) and his family react during a senior night event prior to his final home game Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, against Pittsburgh at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin AJC)

As Haynes King’s time in Atlanta and as a member of the Georgia Tech football program wanes, the inimitable quarterback is soaking in the last few days with teammates while basking in the glow of winning a pair of individual ACC awards.

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King was presented two trophies Tuesday — one for being named the ACC player of the year and the other for being named the ACC offensive player of the year — during halftime of Tech’s basketball win over Marist at McCamish Pavilion. The senior was joined by Tech coach Brent Key, Tech athletic director Ryan Alpert, Tech President Angel Cabrera and the ACC’s senior vice president for football, Michael Strickland.

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Chad Bishop

Chad Bishop is a Georgia Tech sports reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.



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