Thousands march in Ukraine for LGBT rights and safety

Dressed in colourful costumes and rainbow flags, crowds marched by Kiev’s central streets, some carrying banners “Fight for the Right!” The contributors introduced eight calls for for the Ukrainian authorities, together with the legalization of civil participation for LGBT folks and the creation of legal guidelines in opposition to LGBT hate crimes.

People participate within the annual Gay Pride Parade underneath the safety of riot police in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, September 19, 2021. (AP)

“We are tired of waiting for change and suffering systematic threats, pressure, disruption of peaceful events, attacks on activists and the LGBT community,” the marchers stated in a press release. “We demand change here and now, because we want to live freely in our country.”

The march was guarded by police, who sought to cease clashes with far-right teams making an attempt to disrupt the occasion yearly. Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova urged radical teams to chorus from violence.

“We are different, but we are the same,” Denisova stated. “The Constitution of Ukraine declares all people equal in their rights by birth, regardless of any characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Several hundred activists protesting the march held their rally in a park in Kiev. No conflict has been reported.

Ukraine repealed prison legal responsibility for homosexuality in 1991. In 2015, Ukraine’s labor legal guidelines have been amended to ban discrimination in opposition to LGBT folks within the office.

However, conservative teams within the largely conservative Christian nation oppose LGBT rights and members of far-right organizations repeatedly assault teams and occasions related to the LGBT group. LGBT rights teams say Ukrainian police typically ignore the homophobic or transphobic motives of the assaults, classifying them as felonies.