On March 8, 2018, International Women’s Day, transgender women, human rights defenders, and supporters held a rally outside the House of Justice in Tbilisi to defend the rights of transgender women. Their main demand was for the state to officially recognize transgender individuals and allow them to change their gender marker on identification documents.

Protesters displayed a poster printed as an ID card belonging to a transgender woman, Miranda Paghava, where the gender was listed as “MM” (male). Participants said that having a gender marker inconsistent with their identity violated their fundamental rights.

They also emphasized that in a poor country with limited job opportunities, transgender people face additional discrimination because of such legal and social barriers.

On the same day, a counter-protest was held by a homophobic group. Guram Palavandishvili, a representative of the Society for the Protection of Children’s Rights, appeared near the House of Justice holding a sign reading “Ban LGBT Propaganda.” Later, Palavandishvili was detained by the police.