Georgian professor sends solidarity letter to her LGBTQ+ son on Anti-Homophobia Day

On May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Ilia State University professor and film scholar Nino Mkheidze published a heartfelt public letter to her son, Lado Mkheidze — a makeup artist and LGBTQ+ activist — expressing solidarity and love while highlighting the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people in Georgia.

In her message, Nino writes:
“I want to wish a happy May 17 first and foremost to my son, Lado Mkheidze. I love you in both your femininity and masculinity — in dresses and in trousers, with a painted face and flying through the air on one hand. I wonder how you endure so much hate and aggression over the years and still stubbornly keep striving for growth.”

Referring to the emotional toll their family has endured, she adds:
“My family is you, and only you and I know what hardships and losses we’ve overcome together. I want you to always know that I will fight for your rights 366 days a year — no law or restriction can stop that. These laws are aimed at limiting your freedom, your talent, your self-expression.”

She ends her message with a call for justice:
“Unconditional love and solidarity to everyone who is unlawfully oppressed. We will live in a country where everyone’s rights are protected.”

May 17 has been marked globally as the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia for the past 20 years. In Georgia, the date has become highly symbolic due to violent counter-demonstrations targeting LGBTQ+ events. In 2013, LGBTQ+ rights supporters were violently attacked in Tbilisi by far-right groups and members of the clergy during a peaceful rally. In response, the Georgian Orthodox Church declared May 17 the Day of Family Purity in 2014.

In 2024, amid rising anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric from the ruling Georgian Dream party and the passage of several controversial laws by its one-party parliament, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze declared May 17 an official public holiday, further sparking criticism from pro-democracy and human rights advocates, who slam the laws as "discriminatory" and "homophobic."