On June 8, 2025, a Facebook account known for systematically spreading disinformation, Nina Marji, published a screenshot of an election banner from the Union of Citizens of Georgia, claiming that the banner features an LGBTQ+ flag. In the post description, the author writes:
“The party ‘Union of Citizens’ was founded in 1993. And yet, agreements with the WHO and later with the UN were signed in the spring-summer of 1992, just a few months after Eduard [Shevardnadze] was brought back in… They had Zviad Gamsakhurdia stuck in their throats like a bone and couldn’t force him to sign documents that would have legitimized those agreements…”
Previously, on October 30, 2024, a similar post appeared on the page of another disinformation-spreading Facebook user, Irakli Zakareishvili. He claimed that the party used LGBTQ+ flag colors on the election banner in order to gain favor from the West.
The claim that the election banner of the Union of Citizens used rainbow colors as LGBTQ+ symbolism is disinformation. The party’s poster featured nine colors, which differ from both the colors and number of stripes on the LGBTQ+ flag. Additionally, the claim that Zviad Gamsakhurdia opposed cooperation with the UN is unsupported by evidence.
Form and Ideology
The most common version of the LGBTQ+ flag consists of six horizontal color stripes. Although the design of the flag has changed over time, during the period when the Union of Citizens of Georgia was active, the six-color version was the recognized symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s also worth noting that the flag only became a global symbol in the 2000s, spreading to Europe, Latin America, and Australia. On the poster misrepresented in the disinformation post, however, nine colors are used instead of six:
Left: Party poster Right: LGBTQ+ flagMoreover, rainbow colors were used symbolically even before the LGBTQ+ flag was designed in 1978. The colors typically represented diversity, peace, and unity. For instance, as early as 1913, a world peace flag was created featuring horizontal colored stripes beside a globe, with each color bearing symbolic meaning.
The Green Party of Georgia also used the rainbow as a symbol of peace and harmony on their 1992 election poster.
About the Party
The Union of Citizens of Georgia was founded in 1993. From 1993 to 1995, the party was chaired by Eduard Shevardnadze. In 2002, a group of reformers led by Mikheil Saakashvili split from the party to form the United National Movement, while another reformist group, led by Zurab Zhvania, went on to establish the United Democrats party. Slogans found on the Union of Citizens of Georgia’s campaign posters included “Children should laugh,” “Bread should be baked,” “Prosperity to your families.” According to the registry of political parties, the party’s foreign policy envisioned partnership-based and mutually beneficial relations with Georgia’s neighboring countries.
It is noteworthy that the photo used in this context was first posted on May 19, 2016, on Twitter (now X), by one user. The caption “LGBT Citizens’ Union” may have been added as a joke.
Historical Context
The creation of the rainbow flag and its association with sexual minorities began in 1978, when American artist Gilbert Baker designed an eight-color flag to symbolize the visibility and expression of sexual minorities. The idea for the flag was inspired by Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the U.S. At the time, i.e., the 1970s, American society was marked by widespread homophobia, and pride marches were a response by activists to police violence. For years, U.S. law required people to dress according to the gender stated on their government-issued ID. Police frequently raided bars, arresting transgender individuals and anyone deemed to be “inappropriately” dressed. In 1969, during a routine raid at Stonewall Inn in New York, citizens resisted the police. A year later, in 1970, the first pride march was held to commemorate the event. Thus, the rights of sexual minorities became a significant issue in the sociopolitical life of the United States at that time. By contrast, the situation in Georgia was radically different. These issues were not part of the national discourse. In the Soviet Union, homosexuality was a criminal offense, and in 2000, only a few changes were made to Georgian laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, some legal gaps and restrictions remained. In 2014, Georgia’s Parliament passed an anti-discrimination law. Before that, in 2013, the first attempt to hold a pride event in Georgia ended in violence, confrontation, and chaos. In the following years, pride events and “Marches of Dignity” were similarly accompanied by unrest and violence.
Claims about WHO and the UN
The description in Nina Marji’s disinformation post, which claims that Zviad Gamsakhurdia opposed Georgia’s membership in the United Nations and the World Health Organization, is not supported by any evidence. The post does not cite any facts, statements, or sources to back up the claim. Georgia became a member of the United Nations on July 31, 1992, and joined the World Health Organization on May 16, 1992. The UN recognizes Georgia’s independence and supports its territorial integrity. To understand Gamsakhurdia’s actual position, a five-volume collection titled “Leaders of the Georgian State” housed in the National Parliamentary Library was consulted. This collection includes official statements, documents, and interviews related to Zviad Gamsakhurdia from 1990 to 1993. There is no verified fact, opinion, or quote in the archive indicating that Gamsakhurdia opposed Georgia’s integration into international organizations. On the contrary, in his public statements, he appealed to the UN and the international community to recognize Georgia’s independence:
“We appeal to the UN, to the peoples and governments of the world to support Georgia’s independence, to recognize it, to abolish colonial dependence, and to help us peacefully exit the Soviet empire.” (Volume I, p.198)
From this and other statements, it is evident that Zviad Gamsakhurdia saw the UN as a means of legitimizing Georgia’s independence, a tool of international law and diplomacy to counter Russian pressure.
Prepared by Tsisia Moistrapeshvili
Myth Detector Laboratory
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