In pictures: Russia looms large over Georgia’s LGBTQ community With Chechnya making headlines for its treatment of gays, Georgians speak out against mistreatment in the former Soviet republic.

TBILISI, Georgia — On May 13, 2013, a hundred or so members of Georgia’s LGBTQ community celebrated International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on the streets of Tbilisi. But the celebration turned ugly quickly, with many claiming they were physically assaulted by demonstrators from the Orthodox Parents’ Union and the Georgian Orthodox Church.

This was not an isolated incident. Protected — on paper at least — by laws and anti-discriminatory measures, LGBTQ people in Georgia are frequent victims of institutional discrimination and, often, violent physical assault.

Their exclusion from mainstream society, many of them say, can be chalked up to the outsized influence Russia still holds on the country.

“Georgian society is very conservative and the Orthodox Church, as well as many politicians, still have strong connections to Russia," said Natia Gvianishvili, a lesbian activist and member of the Women’s Initiatives Supportive Group, a self-described feminist organization founded in 2000 to fight for women’s rights.

Russia has used prejudice against the LGBTQ community as a way to rally support among Georgians, claiming the country is at risk of becoming a "temple of decadence and “homosexuality” if it continues to seek closer ties with the EU, a path that includes enshrining protections for minority groups.

“Russian leadership is manipulating Orthodox values to drive Georgia out of the West," said Andrey Makarychev, a visiting professor at the Johan Skytte Institute for Political Studies at the University of Tartu.

In recent years, the rhetoric of Orthodox priests has become more extreme. It is not uncommon to hear them call gay men “sons of the devil,” and the growing number of Russian media outlets in Georgia have acted as a megaphone for homophobia.

“Church and society are very hostile to us,” said Giorgi Oistauri, a well-known activist and transvestite. As a result of Moscow’s influence, he — and others like him — are under constant threat.

“Today, we cannot show ourselves in public. You have to get a taxi for going out and you cannot go around wearing makeup.”

Below are views from the LGBTQ community in Georgia on the problems they face.