Kyiv Pride: LGBTQIA+ Ukrainian Soldiers March For Equality Amidst War
“We are ordinary people fighting on an equal footing, but deprived of rights.” – Dmitriy Pavlov, Army Soldier
According to PBS, hundreds of LGBTQIA+ servicemembers and their supporters gathered on a rainy Sunday to participate in an Equality March organised by Kyiv Pride. The event, which took place under heavy police protection due to threats from counterprotesters, aimed to demand more rights for LGBTQIA+ individuals serving in the military and highlight their contributions to the country’s ongoing war with Russia.
The marchers, many adorned with rainbow and unicorn patches on their uniforms, called upon the government to grant them official partnership rights. They emphasised that their role in the military has been instrumental in shifting public attitudes towards same-sex partnerships in the socially conservative nation, as reported by PBS.
Campaigners are pushing for legal reforms that would allow individuals in same-sex partnerships to make medical decisions for wounded soldiers and bury victims of the war, which has been raging across Ukraine for over two years. They argue that improving gay rights would further distinguish Ukraine from Russia, where LGBTQIA+ rights are severely restricted.
The rally garnered support from staff members of the United States Embassy and several European embassies who attended the event. However, organisers faced challenges in arranging the rally, with city authorities rejecting a petition to hold it at a metro station, and one of the main branches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church condemning the event.
As the march concluded, police escorted protesters into a central metro station to keep them separate from a counterdemonstration. Counterprotesters, some wearing face masks and carrying anti-gay signs, marched to a memorial for fallen soldiers in the city center.
Both the LGBTQIA+ rally participants and the counterprotesters seised the opportunity to demand foreign countries’ assistance in Ukraine’s war with Russia, chanting “Arm Ukraine now!”
