Recently the Ukrainian government received a special questionnaire to assess the readiness of a potential candidate for membership before the start of the EU accession process. Nash Svit Center decided to contribute to the review of this questionnaire by the EU institutions and answered, within its competence, questions directly related to the protection of the rights of LGBTQ people in Ukraine.

Author: Rémy Bonny

The Ukrainian Parliament is currently examining three draft laws concerning hate crimes, based on sexual orientation, gender identity (SOGI) and religion. Many fear that the bills will be covered up under pressure by pro-Russian political forces.

On the night from 19th to 20th April, the police in Dnipro city conducted a homophobic raid on a local gay club “Potemkin”. About 1 a.m., 20-25 police officers burst into the night club, compelled all those present to lie down on the floor (about 25 visitors + the club staff), and did not allow anyone to get up for three hours while opening all windows (the night temperature was not above +5). The police seized mobile phones from all present people, and some things disappeared from the cloakroom. The club staff also claimed about the loss of some club’s equipment. Except the mobile phones, no disappeared things were included in the list of the seized things.

On February 19, US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell met in Berlin with LGBT activists, mostly from Eastern Europe, to discuss a future campaign to decriminalize homosexual relations in countries where they are still considered a crime.