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FOUNDING MEMBER
In t e r n a t ion a l
Queer Ukrainians Band Together
in the Face of War
BY MATT TRACY
Hours before Russian
President Vladimir Putin
declared war on his
western neighbor, out gay
Ukrainian soldier Viktor Pylypenko
summed up his own feelings in one
word: “Anxious.”
Pylypenko has played a major role
as an LGBTQ leader in Ukraine,
where he leads a group of more than
100 queer troops and veterans. He
told Gay City News he served in active
combat in 2014 during what
he described as a brutal, grueling
stretch of warfare when Russia annexed
Crimea and aided separatists
in Ukraine’s eastern region.
Pylypenko has since rejoined the
military to defend his nation and LGBTQ
people from Putin’s persecution.
From Kyiv to New York City, LGBTQ
Ukrainians are standing up for
their independence. Queer Ukrainian
activists in New York City hosted a
solidarity demonstration outside the
Stonewall Inn on February 27, while
their LGBTQ friends back at home
are speaking out about the perilous
situation on the ground as Russian
forces bombard the nation with support
from Belarus.
A combination of energy, emotion,
and Ukrainian pride engulfed
the area surrounding Stonewall on
Christopher Street Saturday afternoon.
Signs in the crowd overwhelmingly
targeted Putin, with some comparing
him to Adolf Hitler and others
featuring messages such as “LGBTQ
United Against Putin.” Many attendees
also brought signs expressing
general opposition to war.
The protest was led in part by
Bogdan Globa, an out gay activist
who founded QUA, an organization
dedicated to LGBTQ Ukrainians in
the United States. Members of RUSA
LGBTQ, an organization of Russian
speakers, also showed up.
“We’re here to show solidarity for
Ukrainians because there is a war
going on,” said Globa, who said his
loved ones back in Ukraine are hunkering
down in shelters. He said
many folks have been unable to leave
Kyiv because the war has halted public
transportation.
Ivanna Sakhno and Polina Buchak, both from Kyiv, hug at the Stonewall Inn on February 26.
Polina Buchak and Ivanna Sakhno,
who both hail from Kyiv, embraced
each other as they watched
the demonstration. They were draped
in a large Ukrainian Flag.
“Not surprisingly, everyone back
home is terrifi ed because at this point,
we will never know when the next
shelling is going to happen,” Buchak
said. “Hopefully we will stop losing
people — innocent civilians — because
you can understand how terrifying it
is. Sometimes there are not enough
words to explain the emotions.”
Ukrainian restaurants in Manhattan’s
Little Ukraine neighborhood
were overwhelmed with patrons eager
to support them. Long lines were
seen at two Ukrainian restaurants
over the weekend and another eatery
was sold out of food.
Back in Ukraine, queer people are
pouring their hearts into the campaign
to repel Russia’s advance. Pylypenko
— known as the fi rst out gay
person in the country’s military —
sounded the alarm about an American
intelligence report warning that
the Russians drew up a “kill list” targeting
LGBTQ activists in Ukraine.
“People are really scared that if the
most dark prognosis will take place,”
said Pylypenko, who is from western
Ukraine and lives in Kyiv. “The fi rst
thing Russia will do is rid civil society
of activists — especially those who
belong to the LGBTQ community and
who are fi ghting for human rights.
Human rights are the number one
enemy for Putin’s regime.”
Pylypenko and others said those
fears are rooted in Russia’s treatment
MATT TRACY
of LGBTQ people in war-torn eastern
Ukraine since 2014. Kyrylo Samozdra,
another gay Ukrainian man, told Gay
City News he fl ed from the occupied
eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk in
2020 after he was interrogated and
harassed by Russian authorities for
his work with queer youth. LGBTQ
Russians have reported similar tactics
used by the Russians to clamp
down on public queer life.
Samozdra escaped to Kyiv and is
now in the western Ukrainian city
of Lviv, where he said he has heard
numerous explosions since Russia
launched the invasion. He feels safer
now after getting in touch with a
group of queer people.
“We went several times to shelters,”
Samozdra told Gay City News. “It was
hard when we had just arrived from the
train. We didn’t sleep for 30 hours and
we were forced to sit in the basement,
but now everything is calm. With my
queer acquaintances, we exchanged
news, helped, and consoled each other.
I see this war as a war of humanity
and inhumanity. I am happy that the
entire world has rallied against Putin
and is helping Ukraine.”
Others who fear Russian occupation
also recall when the Kremlin
targeted themt. Globa and Pylypenko
said Russian state media put them
on television and mocked Ukraine’s
LGBTQ community.
“A lot of LGBTQ people are scared
and afraid because they’re one of
the fi rst groups targeted by the Russians,”
Globa said.
➤ LGBTQ UKRAINIANS, continued on p.11
March 10 - March 23, 2 10 022 | GayCityNews.com
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