Georgian soprano cancels LGBTI charity concert

Georgian soprano cancels LGBTI charity concert
Image: Georgian opera singer Tamar Iveri.

THE Georgian opera singer who landed in hot water earlier this year following the revelation of several homophobic social media comments has cancelled a LGBTI charity concert she planned as an apology.

Tamar Iveri was heavily criticised in June for making anti-gay comments in a public letter to the Georgian president posted to her Facebook page, about a gay pride rally that was held in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

The post praised Georgian citizens who spat at and appeared to encourage violence towards participants during the parade.

“I was quite proud of the fact how Georgian society spat at the parade, organized by your team,” it read.

“Often, in certain cases, it is necessary to break jaws in order to be appreciated as a nation in the future, and to be taken into account seriously.

“Please, stop vigorous attempts to bring West’s ‘faecal masses’ in the mentality of the people by means of propaganda.”

The comments came to light in the lead-up to Iveri’s starring appearance in Opera Australia’s production of Otello earlier this year.

Iveri blamed her husband for using her social media account to publish his own homophobic views and that she didn’t share them.

Opera Australia labelled her comments as “unconscionable” — after initially refusing to let Iveri go — and eventually terminated her contract following public protest and a campaign against her and the company.

The disgraced soprano then announced she would hold a charity concert for National Coming Out Day on October 12 as a means to apologise for the remarks and harm her post had caused.

However, the event failed to materialise over the weekend. Georgian LGBTI rights group, Identoba, posted online that Iveri had cancelled her show due to having recently given birth.

One of the most notable people behind the campaign against Opera Australia and their involvement with Iveri, Simon Hunt — aka Pauline Pantsdown — said that her cancellation was questionable.

“The cancellation excuse seems dubious,” he told the Star Observer.

“Considering that she was apparently already five months pregnant when she first announced the benefit concert — unless this is a ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ pregnancy and she’s actually given birth to the devil?

“Let’s hope that the children — human or otherwise — turn out to be straight, so that they don’t have to endure the crap she’s dished out at LGBTI people.”

The head of Identoba, Irakli Vacharidze, said that another charity concert has been planned for December.

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