On May 19, 2021, the Public Defender of Georgia addressed the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia with a general proposal within the framework of a case related to alleged discrimination on the grounds of gender identity.

The examination of the case showed that in accordance with the practice established by the existing regulation, universities often require transgender women to submit a document certifying their military registration for enrollment in higher education institutions.

The Public Defender highlighted the challenges facing the country in terms of access to education and the lack of a legal mechanism in line with international standards of gender recognition. The negative effects of the existing practice on transgender women, namely their inability to live in accordance with their gender and to realize their right to education unlike other students, were assessed in such a general context.

As a result, the Public Defender called on the Minister of Education and Science to inform the higher education institutions on the territory of Georgia to introduce flexible mechanisms/approaches to ensure smooth access to higher education for transgender women instead of taking into account formal gender-related preconditions specified in the ID cards during admission of students to educational institutions.