LGBTQ Ukrainians take a stand against Russian invasion
LGBTQ rights activists had strong words for Russia as its troops launched an invasion of their country today.
“To all our supporters in the world: Call on your governments to stand up and to take action against the war in Ukraine! We need to stop it now, we need to show how powerful we are all together, and Putin will stand no chance!” Kyiv Pride declared on Twitter.
“Ukraine is a European country. We have a 10-year history of Pride marches, and as you know, in Russia, the situation is like opposite,” Kyiv Pride project assistant Edward Reese told CBS News. “We have totally different paths…We see the changes in people’s thoughts about human rights, LGBTQ, feminism and so on…So definitely we don’t want anything connected to Russia…and we won’t have them.”
“We have fear, because it’s natural, but we don’t panic,” Reese said. “We donate to the army. I know that like yesterday, the fund to support Ukrainian army, which is helping our army, has reached a maximum in its history for donations. And the Kyiv Pride also posted the call to donate, and I know that LGBT people did it. And I myself donated also for the medical battalions.”
LGBTQ Nation reported: “A 33-year-old freelance illustrator named Ilulia also expressed fears about what could happen should Russia succeed. ‘Even my Twitter profile, it’s enough for them to imprison me. And imprisonment is the best thing that could happen to me in this situation.’ ”
“We remain strong, we are not intimidated,” Kyiv Pride stated, according to Pink News. “Putin will break all his teeth trying to bite us.”
“We have left the past to which (Putin) seeks to draw us far behind,” said Kyiv Pride. “We are a country that has chosen the values of human rights, humanity, life and personality. Putin lives in the past.”
The Washington Blade reported:
Sphere, a Kharkiv-based LGBTQ rights group, on Wednesday in a post to its Facebook page said the “escalation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine currently has an unprecedented impact on vulnerable groups, including the LGBT+ community.” …
Advocacy groups outside of Ukraine have also condemned the invasion.
“We stand with the brave people of Ukraine,” tweeted Tbilisi Pride in Georgia.
ILGA-Europe echoed these sentiments.
“Like everyone, we woke this morning with shock and regret to hear of the invasion of Ukraine,” it said. “We will play our part to support and stand with everyone in Ukraine, Russia and the entire region who works towards peace and democracy, and to support those who are made even more vulnerable.”
Rainbow Railroad, a Canada-based organization that assists LGBTQ refugees around the world, said it is “alarmed by the attack on Ukraine and are concerned about the impact this conflict will have on Ukraine’s LGBTQI+ community.”
“We are preparing, in consultation with our partners, possible ways we can help people at risk in the region,” said a Rainbow Railroad on Thursday.
“Once again Putin and Russia have decided to rob Ukraine of its sovereignty and claim ownership of Ukrainian people,” said QUA [LGBTQ Ukrainians in America] co-founder Bogdan Globa in a statement. “Thousands of our brothers and sisters are under attack; Ukraine, as the only truly democratic former republic in the region, is under threat.”
“If we still believe in freedom and democracy, we must stand in solidarity with Ukrainian society at this challenging and dark moment in Ukraine’s history.”
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