One might assume that in such times, there is no room to advocate for the equality of LGBTQ people. Also, a rise in in national consciousness and the forced militarization of Ukrainian society do not seem to be good preconditions for improving the situation of queer people. In the past, attacks on the LGBTQ community have mainly come from nationalists who declared queer people to be non-patriotic, and the military is associated with an image of masculinity that seems to leave no space for queerness.
So, it may come as a surprise, that there are several indications that the public perception of queer people has improved since February 24. A poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology three months after the beginning of the Russian invasion has shown that the public attitude towards the community has improved significantly recently. Now almost 60 % of Ukrainians have a positive or neutral attitude, over 60 % support equal rights. In 2016, only around 30 % of the population didn't have a negative view of the LGBTQ community or were in favor of legal equality. Also, a petition for same-sex marriage quickly received over 28,000 signatures in July after it was reported that people in same-sex relationships do not have the right to bury their partners if they are killed in action. Similar petitions in the past have never reached these many signatures. In response to the petition, the government is now considering legalizing same-sex civil partnerships.
How did these changes in the attitude towards queer people come about? It is likely that the external threat from Russia has generally led to a stronger sense of unity within Ukrainian society, in which hostility to minorities has less space. The visibility of LGBTQ soldiers is likely to be among the most important reasons that queer people are perceived differently. Since 2018, the "Union of the LGBT military, veterans and volunteers" is working towards the visibility and acceptance of queer people within the Ukrainian armed forces. Since February 24 more and more members of the LGBTQ community are volunteering to fight against the Russian invasion, many of them openly displaying their identity with a unicorn patch on their uniform. It may not seem obvious that people choose to defend the country where they have often experienced rejection and discrimination. But they know that they would face far worse under Russian occupation.
Oleksandr Zhuhan is among those members of the queer community who decided to volunteer. Before February 24, Zhuhan had no military experience, he worked as a theater actor and director. Before he joined the armed forces, Zhuhan was "worried that it will be hard for a gay person in the army", because he pictured the army as "a masculine society", he tells us. But he was "really lucky", he says, as he has not experienced any cases of open homophobia. One of his commanders told Zhuhan that he had gay people in his unit before and added: "If you are a good soldier, I don't care who you love. I don't tolerate any homophobia in my unit." Zhuhan explains that this surprised him, "because in civil life I faced homophobic attacks." He and his partner were beaten and pepper sprayed before. Zhuhan adds, that other queer soldiers were less lucky, he has also heard stories of homophobia in the army. But the increase in visibility of LGBTQ soldiers is helping to improve their situation. "What we do now is not just fighting for our country but showing them, we are soldiers as good as they are", says Zhuhan.
Another factor that plays an important role in changing social attitudes towards queer people is that more and more Ukrainians perceive homophobia as a Russian narrative and part of the attacker's agenda. Homophobia is very present in Russian propaganda and part of its anti-Western narrative. While the Russian government has now criminalized any positive or neutral public expression about homosexuality and queer gender identities, it uses anti-queer narratives to discredit Ukraine and its army. Ukraine's stronger ties to the EU and other Western partners since the war of aggression began also leads many to identify more strongly with so-called Western values and to turn away significantly from what is seen as Russian - including homophobia.
At the same time, there are examples of homophobic war-time propaganda from the Ukrainian side. For example, a drone video of Russian soldiers having oral sex was shared to discredit the Russian army. Also, many still use homophobic slurs to refer to Russian soldiers, Zhuhan tells us. Attitudes and habits can't completely change within a few months. More visibility and education will be necessary to further improve the image of queer people in Ukraine. Zhuhan says he tries to educate the people around him and to raise awareness. If he witnesses the use of homophobic slurs, he makes clear that they are offensive. He tells others that "it doesn't mean anything that there are gay people in the Russian army, because there are gay people everywhere".
The visibility of queer Ukrainian soldiers combined with efforts to educate about LGBTQ topics help to change a common narrative: That Ukrainian identity and notions like patriotism and tradition are at odds with queer identities. "It used to be: 'You're either gay or you are a Ukrainian patriot', now people see that you can be both", says Zhuhan. The Ukrainian-Canadian activist Andrew Kushnir has launched a campaign questioning the opposition of tradition and queerness as it is claimed not only in Russian propaganda but also by right-wing Ukrainians. "Freedom is our tradition" is the slogan of the campaign that promotes a different, less bigot notion of tradition - one that involves queerness. This emphasizes that LGBTQ people - even if rarely visible - have been part of Ukrainian society throughout history.
The media image of queer Ukrainians is already changing, in Ukraine as well as internationally. Edward Reese, an activist and representative of Kyiv Pride, says the fact that the country is moving closer to the EU or, as Reese puts it, "Ukraine is going to Europe", will lead to the Ukrainian media focusing more on queer issues because they understand that "if they want to be modern and European, they have to write about queer issues". But still a lot remains to be done as "Ukrainian media often exoticize trans people or show them as victims", says Reese. In international media Reese has also observed a tendency to portray queer Ukrainians as victims and a focus on stories about those who wanted to flee or on trans women who couldn't leave the country. In Reese's opinion this perpetuates an incorrect image of queer Ukrainians. "They are not hostages, not victims, but fighters", Reese emphasizes. Several months after the beginning of the full-scale war, media finally started to show interest in queer soldiers. It remains important "to fight not for mere representation, but for quality representation", Reese adds. Therefore, it is imperative to "use every opportunity" to increase visibility, not just media, but also marches, conferences, art events.
But since February 24, NGOs that had previously worked towards visibility and advocated queer rights, had to reimagine themselves as humanitarian aid organizations and provide crisis relief. Among other things, they helped with food, clothing, shelter, and psychological support. But they haven't stopped their work for visibility. Anna Sharyhina, an activist working with Kharkiv Pride, tells us that they do not only provide humanitarian aid but also continue to conduct information campaigns against homophobia and discrimination. Their campaign "United like never before!" emphasizes on victory as a goal for all Ukrainian people. "Ukrainian identity has become most important now", says Sharyhina, but this doesn't mean the efforts towards the visibility of queer identities no longer have a significance. In September 2022 a pride parade took place in Kharkiv metro, where many people seek shelter from the Russian attacks. "Many events like concerts or workshops take place there, so we decided to do Pride there", Sharyhina tells us. After the event, a lot of media outlets reported on it, many of them in a neutral way, which can be considered a success as especially regional media in Ukraine have not shown themselves to be very queer-friendly in recent years.
But it is not only the representation in the media that is changing, but also the perception many queer people have of themselves and their role in society. Clearly, the members of the LGBTQ community find themselves in more than difficult situations during the war: A lot of them have lost their houses and loved ones as well as their work and safe spaces, they experience violence in occupied territories or had to leave their homes because the shelling continues. At the same time, many queer people have taken a more active role and feel more a part of Ukrainian society as a result. The positive changes in public opinion and the EU perspective give hope for legislative changes - and therefore the perspective of a more queer-friendly post-war Ukraine. For some, the current situation can also mean empowerment. Oleksander Zhuhan has experienced a sense of self-empowerment during his military duty. In civil life he felt defenseless against attacks from homophobic groups. "Now I don't feel defenseless anymore. Now I think: 'you can't treat me like this!'", he says.
It is important to ensure that the current more positive perception of queer people is not limited to the state of emergency during the war. For lasting improvement, it is neccessary that queer people are not only accepted as part of society if they can show themselves to be good soldiers. Therefore, it is hoped that the change in the perception of queer people will continue and not stop at the transition from victims or outcasts to heroes and patriots. But rather that the LGBTQ community is seen as an equal part of society without having to prove anything. Zhuhan is optimistic: "When we win this war, we'll still have a lot of work to do, but we have already started doing this work."
by Norma Schneider