11 brave, intimate images of LGBTQ men and allies in Tbilisi, Georgia

Elska, a project dedicated to sharing the bodies and voices of LGBTQ communities around the world, has put the spotlight on Tbilisi, Georgia for its latest edition. 

Inside, readers can get to know a cross-section of ordinary gay, bi and queer men from this corner of the former Soviet Union. 

Georgia is number 35 of 49 on IGLA-Europe’s ranking of European countries for LGBTQIA+ human rights.

In each issue, subjects of a particular city are photographed in the streets and in their homes, and also pen personal stories about themselves.

“Homosexuals do indeed exist in Georgia and deserve our attention” – Elska editor Liam Campbell

“I imagine that making a gay publication on Tbilisi, a place few in the wider world know much about, might seem like an odd choice, but it’s a city I have always wanted to feature for this project, one of my top five favourite cities in the world” says Elska editor and chief photographer Liam Campbell. 

“However, the reason it took us until our 44th issue to come here is because gay life in Georgia is notoriously difficult. Despite a rather progressive post-Soviet government that passed many ‘European’-standard laws to protect the LGBTQ community, a highly conservative and Orthodox society has had other goals, meaning that regardless of the legal situation, local gays have felt little safety. 

“To name just a few examples, a local LGBTQ magazine had its offices raided by police for bogus charges, the same happened to a community centre, and several Pride marches have seen their attendees greatly outnumbered by violent counter-protestors. 

“Yet, the LGBTQ community kept marching anyway, they kept creating more spaces, and in greater numbers every year. With this spirit I decided that if local gays could find the courage to assert their existence, we could at least back them up by highlighting that homosexuals do indeed exist in Georgia and deserve our attention.”

For more information, visit the Elska website.