World Wide Wave

26 Aug 2013

Ukraine: A deadly serious situation

Europe

In the Ukraine, it’s a deadly serious climate for LGBTI Ukrainians, according to Max Tucker from Amnesty International’s Ukraine office.

“If you are openly gay in the Ukraine, in some areas, it can be very dangerous for you.”

Officials participate in this discrimination and–like their Russian neighbours–they want to outlaw homosexual “propaganda”.

“High-level senior politicians are comparing LGBTI people to necrophiliacs and pedophiles,” says Mr Tucker, who is also quite wary of religious figures.

Is there hope? Of course, in this case, the promise of EU membership is forcing politicians to change tack. “The only reason that we have a gay pride in the Ukraine at all is because the European Union put so much pressure on them.”

And Mr Tucker reports that social views are slowly evolving as well, and he hopes that reports–such as Amnesty International’s recent release–and mounting EU pressure will continue to build momentum for the LGBTI cause.

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