Ukraine has never been a paradise for LGBTQI+ community", LGBTQI+ activist Olena Shevchenko and researcher Maryna Shevtsova state. After Euromaidan (2013-2014) public attitudes towards LGBTQI + community in Ukraine worsened. Nationalist right-wing groups, which could count on the support of a large part of the society due to their active role in the Revolution of Dignity, began to promote a vision of the Ukrainian nation based on traditional, conservative values.
LGBTQI+ persons were presented as a threat to Ukrainian identity. The annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of the war in Donbas have deepened these tendencies. Nationalist groups incited hatred against minority representatives - as those who do not fit the norm.
Since the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the situation of the LGBTQI+ community has further deteriorated - marginalized groups are at greater risk of violence during the war, experts say. This project documents the struggle of LGBTQI+ persons in a war-torn country.
©Marek Kowalczyk
