In February 2022, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine shocked the world. Already vulnerable, the LGBTQI community was under threat both from the conflict and the potential aftermath, through Russia’s persecution of LGBTQI people.
Despite these overwhelming challenges, Ukraine’s LGBTQI community has remained resilient. Last year, the capital held its first Pride march since the invasion, a powerful act of defiance and hope. “We can’t postpone Pride until after the war because we don’t know when the war will end. It might be years, even decades, unfortunately,” explains Yuliia Shypitko, Programme Manager at KyivPride, Ukraine’s largest LGBTQI event.
Here, we speak with Yuliia about organising Pride in wartime Ukraine, the unique challenges facing LGBTQI military personnel, and why showing up for Pride has never been more important.
Could you start by telling us about the current context for LGBTQI rights in your region and how it shapes the experiences of LGBTQI people there?
The context in our region is unfortunately dominated by war as Russian aggression continues. Almost every day we face missile shellings and air alarms, and this affects the LGBTQI movement and our rights.
When we plan Pride events, we must consider that there might be an air alert at any time. During our festival or march, participants might need to immediately seek shelter. Every activity must be organised near a shelter, whether that’s a metro station or another type of safe space.
“We can’t postpone Pride until after the war because we don’t know when the war will end. It might be years, even decades, unfortunately.”
We held our charity educational festival on June 7th and the Pride march on June 14th. The Pride march was successful, gathering over 1,500 people, which is a great result under the circumstances, though not our largest. Before the full-scale invasion, our marches drew about 8,000 people. Now we can only manage 1,500, partly due to security reasons and safety logistics. Managing shelter arrangements for 8,000 people would be nearly impossible.
The march lasted more than an hour, and we were fortunate there was no air alarm. We had several columns, including LGBTQI military personnel and a diplomatic column with representatives from the European Union and various embassies. Many embassies support us: Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, and Austria. The diplomatic presence was particularly strong this year.
Kharkiv Pride and Ukraine Pride also joined us, bringing together communities from different cities in one unified march.
However, we faced tough negotiations with police about our march. They said “you should cancel it, you should ban it” because of the difficult security situation and potential shellings. Despite numerous threats and pressure to cancel, we persisted and held the event.
The context you’re working in is so different from most places around the world right now. With the ongoing war in mind, what does Pride mean to you personally and for the community in your region?
For me, Pride is about having personal dignity. It means I don’t have to hide my identity or choose between my different identities.
I’m bisexual, I’m a woman, and I’m Ukrainian, three different identities that are all part of me. I don’t have to choose to be only Ukrainian today and only bisexual tomorrow. They’re all combined, all part of who I am.
For each person in Ukraine’s LGBTQI community, Pride may mean something different. But I believe for all LGBTQI Ukrainians, it’s about the right to live and love freely in our country. We shouldn’t have to hide our identities, and we must not face discrimination because of them.
Why is it so important right now to organise Pride events given the current context?
We can’t postpone Pride until after the war because we don’t know when the war will end. It might be years, even decades, unfortunately.
We can’t just say, “It’s not time for our rights, we should postpone them.” Today, even with all the security risks, we must organise Pride and show that LGBTQI people in Ukraine are also part of society.
We go to the battlefield too. LGBTQI people can also be soldiers—and they are soldiers. LGBTQI people fundraise for our army. We are united together. Even homophobic people and LGBTQI people are united in being Ukrainian. We must show up.
“The most important—and most difficult—thing to understand is that LGBTQI people in Ukraine are living in wartime while simultaneously fighting for basic rights like civil partnerships and anti-discrimination laws.”
You’ve mentioned the Pride March, but what other activities does Kyiv Pride organise?
Before the march, we held our charity festival, though we don’t actually call it a festival because for Ukrainians, it’s a sensitive topic to have celebrations. Instead we call it an educational charity event. Our programme featured many political and educational discussions, addressing serious topics rather than pure celebration.
It’s not that we don’t have parties or enjoyable activities, we do, but for us, Pride is very political. We discuss our movement and LGBTQI people as part of human rights and Ukraine’s European integration. Our message this Pride was “unity in diversity,” which is also the main slogan of the European Union.
Negotiations with police were difficult for this event too. While they didn’t tell us to ban or to cancel it, they pressured our venue just two days before the event. Our venue and partners wanted to cancel because of this police pressure. It was tough, and it’s a shame that the police were doing this. Although we ultimately held the event, we felt a lot of emotional pressure and stress.
Why is it important for communities and allies in the UK to understand the experiences of LGBTQI people in Ukraine?
The most important—and most difficult—thing to understand is that LGBTQI people in Ukraine are living in wartime while simultaneously fighting for basic rights like civil partnerships and anti-discrimination laws.
We have many LGBTQI military personnel fighting for our country’s freedom. They work hard, risk injury, and may even die on the battlefield, yet they still can’t have civil partnerships with their partners. Consider the legal implications: if someone dies, their partner has no control over their body, property, or children. This is important for all LGBTQI people in Ukraine, but especially for LGBTQI military personnel, who are among the most unprotected in our society.
What are practical ways people in the UK can show solidarity with your community?
This year we felt strong support from the British Embassy in Ukraine, which helped enormously. When police pressured us to cancel our events, the British Embassy mobilised supportive diplomats from other embassies to stand with us and support Pride. We’re very grateful for that.
It would be helpful if people could spread the truth about the war against Ukraine and share information about LGBTQI people in Ukraine, how we’re living and what we’re struggling with. Share information about LGBTQI military personnel and the activities of not only KyivPride, but all queer organisations and the challenges we face.
Finally, what message would you like to share this Pride Month?
Be strong, stay optimistic, and take care of yourself first. That’s the wish I’d like to share with myself, all Ukrainians, and really all people during Pride Month.
Learn more about KyivPride here.