Ukraine Will Consider Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage After Petition Garners 28,000 Signatures

Topline

A petition urging the Ukrainian government to legalize same-sex marriage amid Russia’s invasion has amassed tens of thousands of signatures and has been sent to President Volodymyr Zelensky for consideration.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“At this time, every day can be the last,” wrote Anastasia Andriivna Sovenko, the listed author of the petition. “Let people of the same sex get the opportunity to start a family and have an official document to prove it. They need the same rights as traditional couples.”

Tangent

It’s unclear if Zelenksy would support legalizing same-sex marriage in Ukraine. Zelensky said he didn’t want to say “anything negative” about Ukraine’s LGBTQ+ community in response to a homophobic heckler during a 2019 press conference. “We all live in an open society where each one can choose the language they speak, their ethnicity and orientation,” Zelensky said. “Leave those people alone, for God’s sake!” He has also come under fire from gay rights groups in Ukraine for not dismissing Oleksiy Arestovych, one of his closest advisors who last month said members of the LGBTQ+ community are “deviant.”

Key Background

Homosexuality has been legal in Ukraine since 1991, but same-sex partnerships are not lawfully recognized. While Ukraine’s anti-discrimination laws include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, “negative societal attitudes impede the effect of laws in practice,” according to the UCL European Institute. In May, a study from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 38.2% of Ukrainians polled had a negative view of the LGBTQ+ community, down from 60.4% in 2016.

Further Reading

Pride In Photos: Parades And Marches From Around The World (Forbes)