As is widely known, the organizers of “Tbilisi Pride” are planning activities for 1-5 July. In this regard, we declare: 

1. The organizers of the planned “Pride”, under the pretense of protecting human rights, are propagating a non-traditional way of life, which contains signs of provocation and conflicts with socially-recognized moral norms and aims to legalize a grave sin. 

2. We respect human rights and freedom, which naturally implies freedom of choice. The imposition of their choice on others by this small group is violence, which violates the rights, freedom and choices of the vast majority of our society, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or other affiliation. 

3. The Orthodox Church is always clement to sinners, but not to sin. Therefore, hatred and violence against anyone is completely unacceptable, but equally unacceptable is self-approval for sin and attempt to influence others. 

4. The organizers of LGBTQ+ “Pride” have announced the so-called “March of Dignity”, which, in reality, has nothing to do with dignity. This confuses universal values and represents a purposeful distortion of the concepts of these values by them, which has a drastically negative impact on the psyche of minors and undermines the best interests of children. 

5. We note that such activities do not protect the interests of LGBTQ+, but contribute to the gaining of certain dividends for a small group, and the artificial emergence of aggression against this group among the public. 

6. Neglect of all the above-mentioned and disregard for the objective reality leads to discrediting of Western values. It is crucial that our society see that European democracy is not a rejection of the way of thinking and way of life of the vast majority of people and their religious sentiments. 

In connection with these and other circumstances, we appeal to the working group of 30 members of the European Parliament, working on the issues of LGBTQ+, and the heads of the embassies accredited in Georgia and ask them to refrain from supporting and encouraging “Tbilisi Pride”. We appeal to our Government to adequately evaluate the current situation, to act in the interests of stability in the state and civil peace, and to avert destabilization away from the country and inevitable anxiety away from public life.