Georgia's parliament on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a series of bills that would impose sweeping restrictions on LGBTQ rights, including a ban on “propaganda” for same-sex relationships and gender reassignment surgery.

The package, proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which could ban Pride events and public displays of the LGBTQ rainbow flag, was approved by a majority of MPs and must go through two more readings before becoming law.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said earlier this month that MPs would vote on the second and third readings of the bills only during the autumn session of parliament, just before parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26.

He said the bills were necessary to control “LGBT propaganda” which he said was “changing traditional relationships”.

The law would also ban non-heterosexual people from adopting children and prevent people from changing their gender on identity documents. Public gatherings promoting same-sex relationships would also not be allowed.

If approved, “LGBT propaganda” would be banned in the education system and broadcasters would be prohibited from showing intimate scenes involving same-sex relationships.

In deeply religious Georgia, the rights of LGBTQ people are controversial. However, the country's Orthodox Church enjoys great respect among the population.

Opinion polls show widespread opposition to same-sex relationships, and Tbilisi's annual Pride parades have repeatedly seen physical attacks by conservative protesters. Georgia's constitution prohibits same-sex marriage.

Giorgi Tabagari, founder of Tbilisi Pride, said the draft laws would make life “unbearable” for LGBTQ Georgians.

He said: “The future for queer people in Georgia looks pretty bleak if the anti-LGBT laws are passed.”

The vote comes against a backdrop of political tensions in the South Caucasus country, following a series of large protests against a draft law on “foreign agents” that came into force earlier this month.

The proposed measures are likely to heighten concerns in the European Union and the United States about Georgia's political direction after they criticized the foreign agents law, which they say is Russian-inspired and repressive.

The European Union's ambassador to Georgia said last week that the country's accession process to the Union had been effectively halted by the legislation.

Georgia has traditionally been pro-Western since gaining independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and has recently taken steps to restore relations with Russia, which has itself imposed restrictions on LGBTQ rights.

The Georgian government has said the foreign agents law is necessary to combat “pseudo-liberal” values ​​imposed by foreigners and to promote Georgia’s sovereignty.

Opposition parties, most of which are boycotting parliament, described the anti-LGBTQ bills as an attempt by Georgian Dream to appeal to conservative-leaning voters ahead of the fall election.