Kesaria Abramidze

{{Short description|Georgian blogger, actress and model (1987–2024)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Kesaria Abramidze

| image = Kesaria Abramidze (cropped).jpg

| caption = Abramidze in 2020

| native_name = კესარია აბრამიძე

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1987|08|18|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|09|18|1987|08|18|df=yes}}

| death_place = Tbilisi, Georgia

| death_cause = Murder by stabbing

| education =

| native_name_lang = ka

| other_names =

| occupation = {{hlist|Blogger|actress|model}}

| known_for =

}}

Kesaria Abramidze ({{lang-ka|კესარია აბრამიძე}}; 18 August 1987 – 18 September 2024) was a Georgian blogger, actress, and model. She was the first openly transgender person in the country to make an appearance on national television. She is widely considered a trailblazer for Georgia’s trans rights.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/19/georgia-trans-model-kesaria-abramidze-murdered-parliament-passes-anti-lgbtq-law|title=Georgian trans model murdered after parliament passes 'anti-LGBTQ+' law|accessdate=27 September 2024|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 September 2024 |language=en |last1=Sauer |first1=Pjotr }}

Personal life

Abramidze was born in Tbilisi on 18 August 1987.{{Cite news|title="სახლში რამდენჯერმე მიუვარდა" – რას ჰყვება მოკლული კესარია აბრამიძის მეგობარი ბრალდებულზე|url=https://www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/33126267.html|work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|accessdate=22 September 2024|date=19 September 2024 |language=ka}} Before transitioning, Abramidze's genetic material was frozen outside the country.{{cite web|url=https://www.fmabkhazia.com/news/10107-kesaria-abramidze-roca-dedobisthvis-mzad-vikhnebi-davrekav-9-thveshi-shvili-meqoleba-da-chamomiqvanen.html|title=კესარია აბრამიძე — "როცა დედობისთვის მზად ვიქნები, დავრეკავ, 9 თვეში შვილი მეყოლება და ჩამომიყვანენ"|accessdate=19 September 2024|website=fmabkhazia.com|language=ka}} She announced that she had undergone gender-affirming surgery in 2014, appearing the following year in an underwear advertisement.

Career

Abramidze was a guest on several shows, including the television series Psychopath Games and Davit Kovziridze's show Zhure Katsat.{{cite web|url=https://intermedia.ge/%E1%83%A1%E1%83%A2%E1%83%90%E1%83%A2%E1%83%98%E1%83%90/134471-%E1%83%99%E1%83%94%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%90-%E1%83%90%E1%83%91%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90%E1%83%9B%E1%83%98%E1%83%AB%E1%83%94/127/|title=კესარია აბრამიძე|accessdate=19 September 2024|website=intermedia.ge|language=ka}} Abramidze participated in the Miss Trans Global beauty pageant and represented Georgia.{{cite web|url=https://imedinews.ge/ge/tabloidi/51723/kesaria-abramidze-mis-trans-msoplioze-saqartvelos-tsaradgens|title=კესარია აბრამიძე მის ტრანს მსოფლიოზე საქართველოს წარადგენს |accessdate=19 September 2024 |date=7 March 2018 |website=imedinews.ge |language=ka}} She later became the host of First House on Rustavi 2.{{cite web|url=https://tbiliselebi.ge/ka/news/show-business/kesaria-abramidze-kartveli-katsebis-umetesobam-anatomia-ar-itsis-ar-itsis-sad-unda-moepheros-kals|title=კესარია აბრამიძე: ქართველი კაცების უმეტესობამ არ იცის, სად უნდა მოეფეროს ქალს|accessdate=19 September 2024|date=16 May 2022|website=tbiliselebi.ge|language=ka}} She became an influencer and had over half a million followers on Instagram.

Murder

Abramidze was found murdered on 18 September 2024 at her home on the outskirts of Tbilisi, just one day after the Parliament of Georgia passed the Georgian LGBT propaganda bill. She was 37.{{cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2024/09/19/66ebec91fc6c832e5d8b4585.html|title=Detienen a un hombre por asesinar a puñaladas a Kesaria Abramidze, la mujer transgénero más famosa de Georgia|accessdate=19 September 2024|date=19 September 2024|website=ELMUNDO|language=es}}{{cite web|url=https://www.elespanol.com/mundo/europa/20240919/asesinan-transgenero-famosa-georgia-dia-despues-aprobarse-ley-anti-lgtbi/887161823_0.html|title=Asesinan a la transgénero más famosa de Georgia un día después de aprobarse una ley anti LGTBI|accessdate=19 September 2024|date=19 September 2024|website=El Español|language=es}} Michael Roth, the chairman of Bundestag's Committee on International Relations, directly connected Abramidze's murder to the new anti-LGBTQ+ law and Social Justice Center stated that "political homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia have become central to the government's official discourse and ideology".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0lnpn019xo|title=Trans woman killed in Georgia day after anti-LGBT law passed|work=BBC News|first=Frances|last=Mao|accessdate=23 September 2024|date=20 September 2024}} The murder caused shock in the country and was condemned by the Georgian ombudsman, Levan Ioseliani; the country's president, Salome Zourabichvili, who proposed that it should be a wake-up call for society as a whole and murder should not go unpunished; and by the spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office.{{cite web |first=Ryan |last=Adamczeki |url=https://www.advocate.com/crime/georgia-trans-woman-murder-kesaria-abramidze|title=Suspect arrested in ruthless murder of Georgia trans woman |date=19 September 2024 |accessdate=19 September 2024|website=The Advocate}}{{cite web|url=https://oc-media.org/georgian-queer-community-in-mourning-after-murder-of-prominent-trans-woman/|title=Heartbreak in Georgia after murder of prominent trans woman|accessdate=19 September 2024|last=Kincha|first=Shota|date=19 September 2024|website=OC Media}}

The next day, a 26-year-old person was arrested at Kutaisi International Airport, who was allegedly in a relationship with the model and had previously threatened her. In a post in April of that same year, Abramidze had already reported both physical and psychological abuse by her partner.{{cite web|url=https://civil.ge/archives/625200|title=Murder of Famous Georgian Transwoman Sparks Outcry Amid Anti-LGBT Legislation Adoption|accessdate=19 September 2024|date=19 September 2024|website=Civil Georgia}} Her civil funeral took place on 22 September 2024 and was attended by President Zourabichvili.{{cite news |title=The President attends to the civil funeral of Kesaria Abramidze |url=https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/133491-the-president-attends-to-the-civil-funeral-of-kesaria-abramidze/ |access-date=23 September 2024 |work=interpressnews.ge |date=22 September 2024 |language=en}} On 16 April 2025, the suspect, identified as Beka Jaiani, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/georgia-lgbtq-transgender-killing-russia-gay-c5bee1fc1248e6122ca2e683297c4be5 |title=Man gets life in prison in killing of transgender model in the South Caucasus nation of Georgia |work=AP News |date=17 April 2025|access-date=17 April 2025}}