Ukrainian LGBTQ+ community fights for Ukraine

Article by: Zarina Zabrisky

LGBTQ Ukrainians support Ukraine in many ways: fight on the front, support the army, volunteer. We visited an exhibit in Odesa to understand the roles they play in the war and the societal shifts regarding LGBTQ in Ukraine, emblematized by a recent petition to the president to legalize gay marriage.

On July 14-15 2022, KyivPride and Odesa LGBTQ+ Association “LIGA” presented an exhibition “I am in Ukraine / I am outside Ukraine.” The show is dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community during the war and covers many ways in which the LGBTQ+ community helps Ukraine fight the Russian aggression at home and abroad.

The exhibition was first shown in Kyiv during Pride Month to attract the attention of the international community to the war in Ukraine and to the role of the LGBTQ+ community in the struggle of the Ukrainian people against the Russian invaders. It presented photo stories of LGBTQ+ people from different regions in Ukraine engaged in volunteer activities and fighting as military personnel and territorial defense volunteers in their home country and fundraising, organizing protests, and shedding the light on the war while temporarily living abroad.

LGBTQ community — LGBTQ+ Community in Ukraine. Photo by Zarina Zabrisky.

“It is important for LGBTQ+ people to remain visible during the war, perhaps even more than during peaceful times. For eight years, the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ community has been fighting against the Russian Federation’s aggression, as well as against the dangerous division into certain categories of people. The LGBTQ+ community also makes a great contribution to Ukraine’s victory. With this exhibition, we honor our community members and express our gratitude to them,” said Lenny Emson, director of KyivPride NGO.

Euromaidan Press’ Zarina Zabrisky speaks to the organizers and visitors in Odesa.

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