Ukraine is a very conservative country. Being LGBTQ+ is not a crime like it is in Russia but it is definitely frowned upon there.
This week, a group of Ukrainian LGBTQ+ activists hoisted a flag on the Ukrainian “Motherland” statue using a drone. The Motherland statue stands taller than our Statue of Liberty and is considered a treasured monument in the country. It is located in Kyiv and tourists can climb inside of it. One must book the tours 1-30 days in advance to get a spot because it is so popular.
The government is not pleased with the situation, but it was powerless to stop them. The drone company was within the law when following the order from the activists.
Activists posted the footage of the flag being hoisted with the hashtag #momwillunderstandandsupport.
anyway, this happened today in ukraine: lgbtq+ activists flew drone over to the motherland monument (335 ft tall!) and made it look like her sword had #pride flag on it, making every homophobic person in the capital shake with rage and i think that's beautiful pic.twitter.com/eoAdnlSGvy
— ollie (@ohnepty) June 21, 2020
In-person pride marches were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this year, a Ukrainian religious leader blamed the coronavirus pandemic on marriage equality and now an LGBTQ+ activist organization is suing him.
In Ukraine, the LGBTQ+ community has few legal protections and the constitution defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
Ukraine’s parliament even refused to back a European hate crime law just a few years ago.
“I agree that we must accept many European values – but certainly not the ones that violate the bases of Christianity,” said Yuriy Solovey of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc party.
The country did reluctantly pass job protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, but that was only required to get into Europe’s Schengen Area.
This is wonderful — well done! 🏳️🌈#momwillunderstandandsupport https://t.co/a7PG3LRTkL
— Jeff (@JHarrisonWriter) June 23, 2020
Same-sex sexual activity has only been legal in the country since 1991. Conversion therapy is also still legal there, and being transgender is still classified as a mental illness. This is a great day for a marginalized community, but they still have a lot of work to do in the conservative country.
Featured image credit: Facebook.
