Introduction There are many fronts in the universal struggle for gay rights and LGBT equality. Some of these fronts are violent, some are passive, some are out and proud and colorful while others are underground. All of them involve courage, stealth, strategic planning, public relations, political lobbying and greater or lesser amounts of money. In
In Ukraine homosexual sex was legalised and the age of consent equalized in 1991 but there is no recognition with respect to gay marriage or civil unions and there are no anti-discrimination laws. For better or worse, gay Ukrainians have been ignored by the political establishment. The country is conservative, mainly Orthodox Christian. The Constitution states that citizens are equal before law, but sexual orientation is not specifically mentioned. However, the list of grounds of discrimination includes an “on other basis”, which could be used for gay protection, but it has never been tested in court. In June 2008 three leading gay and lesbian organizations in the Ukraine formed the Union of Gay Organizations of Ukraine (UGOU). The groups’ purpose was to unite activists in three main areas: advocating rights and freedoms of gay people, mobilizing the gay community and improving the effectiveness of HIV-infection prevention among homosexuals. The Gay Alliance, Gay Alliance Cerkasy, and Nash Mir Gay & Lesbian Center provide an even wider range of information, advocacy, social, and health protection services.
For LGBT citizens in the southern peninsula of Crimea everything changed in 2014 when Russia forced its way into the area and then imposed a referendum that was approved by most people (ethnic Russians) to become a province of Russia. This meant that the existing laws of Russia came into force including the highly discriminatory anti-gay propaganda law which forbids any public advocacy or portrayal of LGBT life or rights. The quiet tolerance of gay citizens became an intolerance and many gay Crimeans moved away to the Ukrainian mainland where they could at least breathe more freely without police intervention in their lives. A recent report in Time magazine described how the last gay venue–Qbar in Sebastopol–closed and the owners, a gay male couple and their son, moved to Kiev.
Name: Ukraine
Population: 46180000
Capital: Kiev - Pop. 2700000
Area: 603628 sq. km/ sq. miles
Language: Ukrainian
Religion: Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Status of Homosexuality: Legal
Telephone Country Code: 380
Gay Ukraine After the Revolution: Life is Dangerous
Activist Globa Bogdan, who had his hopes for Kiev Pride dashed this year, says the culture of machismo threatens LGBT Ukrainians. By Thom Senzee July 09 2014 The Advocate (http://www.advocate.com/world/2014/07/09/kiev-activist-life-dangerous-lgbt-ukrainians) (Photo right: activist Globa Bogdan at Baltimore Pride 2013 ) For Bogdan Globa, founder and executive director of Tochka Opory|Fulcrum, an LGBT rights advocacy
Best Gay Nude Beach in Ukraine: Simeiz Village
Below is an article from the Ukrainian gay newspaper ‘Our World’ praising the attractions of this heavenly beautiful place. Introduction The fame of Simeiz (located on the Crimean peninsula, near the city of Yalta) as a gay resort goes as far back as to the 70s, when homosexuality was still criminally prosecuted and hundreds of
Gay Ukraine Up Close
Introduction Here are two personal testimonies from gay Ukrainian men who know well the ardors of living gay in Ukraine. The first is from a well know TV entertainer and singer who quit the scene rather than be humiliated. The second is by an angry man who has felt confined and limited by his society
Gay Life in Ukraine 2008
Introduction From the far reaches on the steppes of Eurasia, a American gay couple residing in Ukraine write about their experience in this difficult new nation: “For the gay male tourist, you are truly in the land of beautiful boys (no attitude and no body fascism). Of course, we are not as exciting as Berlin