Hundreds gather in Kiev for Pride parade amid war

A protester wearing a mask with the colors of the flag of the LGBTQ community takes part in the ‘Kiev Pride 2024’ parade in Kiev against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on June 16, 2024. AFP

KIEV — Under pouring rain and the shadow of war, Dina Ivanova joined hundreds of people who gathered in Kiev on Sunday for the first Pride parade in the Ukrainian capital since the Russian invasion, with a heavy police presence guarding the scene.

Ivanova and other participants briefly gathered behind a police cordon and dispersed, before nationalist activists held a counter-demonstration on the streets of Kiev, shouting homophobic slurs.

The opposition rallies come more than two years into a war that is often described as a fight for survival to join Europe’s liberal values, but parts of Ukraine remain deeply conservative.

read: Ukraine’s LGBTQ+ community fights for their country and rights

“We need to stand up even if we are attacked. We are such a people, such a country, that we will not give up. If our rights are taken away, we will fight for them,” said 27-year-old Ivanova.

She contrasted the situation in Ukraine with that in Russia, where the Kremlin has accelerated its crackdown on the LGBTQ community since launching a full-scale invasion in 2022.

“I’m glad that I live in a country where I can take part in a pride parade,” Ivanova said.

“Those damn Russians can’t do it.”

read: Ukrainian Catholic Church says document blessing same-sex couples not applicable

For security reasons, the time and location of the Pride parade were not publicly announced until Sunday morning.

In the end, about 500 people signed up for a rally in a heavily policed ​​area. Unlike similar rallies around the world, the slogans they chanted reflected a country at war: “Arm Ukraine” and “United to Victory.”

‘Like an alien’

Among the participants were several openly LGBTQ soldiers, including 28-year-old Petro Zherukha, who was allowed to attend the rally by his unit.

Polls show that acceptance of gay and transgender people has grown since the war began, and LGBTQ soldiers have joined the ranks of the armed forces.

“For many of my fellow soldiers, I was the first LGBT person they had ever met,” Reluka said. “They felt like they had come into contact with an alien.”

“There were a lot of questions, but I think after we talked a lot … it all went really smoothly,” he said.

Some in uniform held a large banner with pictures of the fallen soldiers.

A common demand shared by many in the crowd was for the government to allow same-sex civil partnerships.

The lack of a legal framework for same-sex couples means partners of LGBTQ soldiers who are killed or wounded may not even know what happened to their loved ones.

“Is it fair when people sacrifice their lives? Not fair,” said Marlene Scandal, a drag queen wearing a rainbow flower and a blue and yellow Ukrainian trident.

“Conservatism and tradition”

Several diplomats also took part in the march. Danish Ambassador Ole Eggelberg Mikkelsen pointed out that one of the conditions for joining the European Union is the protection of minorities.

The vast majority of Ukrainians want to join the EU, with opinion polls hovering around 80 percent.

But joining the European Union and the idea of ​​same-sex marriage have sparked anger among counter-protesters.

After the Pride parade ended, hundreds of activists ran down Khreshchatyk toward the empty streets where the rally was held.

Police then escorted them around the block as they chanted anti-Russian slogans and issued death threats against homosexuals.

One of the march’s organisers, standing next to a man with a swastika on his hat, denied the death threats were homophobic.

Oleksandr Tymoshenko, a 21-year-old member of the Right Sector youth group, said his protest was “not against homosexuality” but against the LGBTQ movement “fighting for special rights.”

“All Eastern European countries, especially post-Soviet countries, are characterized by strong conservatism and traditionalism. Ukraine is no exception,” he said.