TBILISI, Georgia— The transgender community is reeling after the shocking murder of 37-year-old Kesaria Abramidze, a prominent model and social media influencer, who was found brutally stabbed to death in her apartment on Sept. 18. The killing has sparked widespread condemnation, including from Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, as tensions over LGBTQ+ rights intensify following the passage of a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ law in the country.
After hearing screams coming from Abramidze’s home in the Didi Dighomi neighborhood of Tbilisi, neighbors went to investigate. Local authorities arrested a 26-year-old man, Beka Jaiani, her alleged ex-partner, after CCTV footage revealed him fleeing the building minutes after arriving. Police suspect that an argument over a social media post, in which Abramidze made their relationship public, escalated into violence. Jaiani, who worked as a nightclub bouncer, had reportedly wanted to keep their relationship secret. He now faces charges of premeditated murder under aggravating circumstances on gender grounds, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Abramidze’s death has shocked both the LGBTQ+ community and broader society. President Zourabichvili took to social media to decry the violence, calling it a “horrifying murder” and a “rejection of humanity.” She urged the nation to reflect on the hatred dividing Georgian society. “I hope the death of this beautiful young woman will make us more humane, more Christian,” Zourabichvili wrote. “Hatred drenched in hatred, which weakens and divides us, gives a hand to the enemy to manipulate us.”
Her murder comes at a particularly fraught moment, just one day after the Georgian parliament passed a law widely criticized for targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Dubbed a “Russian law” by its detractors, the legislation bans gender-affirming medical treatments, same-sex marriages, and so-called “LGBT propaganda.” Critics say the law, passed under the guise of protecting family values, further isolates the country’s LGBTQ+ citizens and will derail Georgia’s aspirations of European Union membership.
Backlash Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation
The law, passed despite warnings from the European Union, has deepened concerns over the rise of intolerance in Georgia. Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, condemned the legislation, saying it undermines fundamental human rights. “I call on Georgia to withdraw this legislation, which further derails the country from its EU path,” Borrell wrote in a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter).
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the bill, describing it as a measure to align Georgian society with traditional Christian values and dispel the perception of LGBTQ+ rights as European impositions. “This law ensures that a man should be called a man, and a woman should be called a woman,” Kobakhidze stated.
The anti-LGBTQ+ law, passed amid significant political and societal divisions, has drawn comparisons to Russia’s infamous “gay propaganda” law, which similarly curbs public discussion and promotion of LGBTQ+ identities. LGBTQ+ rights advocates have long feared that Georgian lawmakers were moving in this direction, and Abramidze’s death is being seen as a tragic outcome of these escalating tensions.
A Community in Fear
Abramidze, who represented Georgia in the Miss Trans Star International pageant in 2018, had a significant following on social media, where she often advocated for transgender visibility. Her brutal murder has left many in Georgia’s transgender and broader LGBTQ+ community grappling with fear and uncertainty about their safety. LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, like Temida, have responded by opening hotlines to offer psychological support to community members.
“We’ve received 16 calls since yesterday,” said Beka Gabadadze, chairperson of Temida, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. “People are asking, ‘If Kesaria, someone so successful and visible, can be killed, what will happen to us?’”
Temida and other NGOs that provide services to the LGBTQ+ community are already struggling to operate in an increasingly hostile environment. Georgia’s government has passed additional laws requiring NGOs that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents,” a move that civil society groups have condemned as an attempt to silence opposition.
Gabadadze expressed concerns that Temida may be forced to shut down if required to reveal the personal information of those it assists. “This would mean I’d need to out people. It’s better for us to close down than disclose this information,” he said, emphasizing that the organization provides vital services such as shelter and psychological aid to marginalized individuals.
The new legislation may also have far-reaching consequences for public health initiatives, particularly in HIV prevention. Temida has been involved in outreach campaigns to raise awareness about HIV, but Gabadadze fears these efforts may now be deemed illegal under the anti-LGBTQ+ law, which could criminalize educational efforts as “LGBT propaganda.” He warned that this could lead to an increase in HIV cases across the country.
A Legacy of Violence
Abramidze’s death is not an isolated incident in Georgia. In the past decade, three other transgender women have been murdered under similarly violent circumstances, underscoring the dangers faced by the LGBTQ+ community in the country. Hate crimes, particularly those based on gender identity and sexual orientation, remain alarmingly prevalent. According to a 2023 report by the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office, gender-based hate crimes were the most frequent form of bias-motivated violence in the country, with over 1,000 individuals charged last year.
Civil society groups and international organizations have condemned the ongoing violence, calling on the Georgian government to take more decisive action to protect its LGBTQ+ citizens. Public Defender Levan Ioseliani emphasized that crimes rooted in hatred and gender identity must be met with stricter enforcement and accountability. “This horrifying murder is further proof that our response to these crimes must be particularly strict,” Ioseliani said in a statement following Abramidze’s death.
International Outcry
Abramidze’s murder has garnered international attention, with LGBTQ+ advocates and human rights organizations expressing outrage over the Georgian government’s failure to safeguard its transgender community. “This law may encourage hate speech, lead to more incidents of violence, and reinforce stigma, intolerance, and misinformation,” said Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the United Nations Human Rights Office.
Michael Roth, chairman of Germany’s Bundestag Committee on International Relations, directly connected Abramidze’s murder to the anti-LGBTQ+ law, stating that “those who sow hatred will reap violence.” Roth, along with several European lawmakers, has called for the Georgian government to withdraw the controversial bill immediately.
Georgia’s LGBTQ+ community faces an uncertain future as the nation deals with the fallout from Abramidze’s murder and the potential consequences of the new law, but they are also determined to keep fighting for their rights.
Abramidze’s life, tragically cut short, stands as a powerful reminder of the violence that hatred can spawn. The transgender community, both in Georgia and internationally, mourns her loss and hopes that her death will spur meaningful change.
