Ukrainians Push for Marriage Equality for LGBTQ Soldiers
The Ukraine-Russian war continues to devastatingly affect the lives of Ukrainians, including LGBTQ Ukrainians. LGBTQ citizens of Ukraine have been targeted by Russian soldiers and the government through acts of sexual violence and the spreading of anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Queer Ukrainians are fighting back, and many have been recruited for the war.
Like all soldiers, they are estranged from their partners and families without knowing if they’ll return home. However, LGBTQ soldiers don’t have the same protections under Ukrainian law as straight families and couples.
Under the European Convention on Human Rights, state parties like Ukraine aren’t required to legalize same-gender marriage, but they do have to allow civil unions as an alternative.
This poses a greater issue for LGBTQ soldiers because the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense doesn’t recognize civil unions. Since civil unions aren’t recognized, the partners of LGBTQ soldiers aren’t notified of their passing. Many won’t know whether or not their partner is alive or what happened to them. All final decisions and arrangements will not be made by the soldier’s family and not their partner. Their partners will likely not get a chance to attend their funerals.
“They won’t be able to visit their soul mate in the hospital if something happens. If they have a child, then the child will be taken from the parent who’s still alive if it’s not a mom who gave birth. Because for the law they aren’t relatives. They are just two strangers,” Anastasia Sovenko tells The New York Times.
Anastasia Soveko is taking matters into her own hands by creating a petition calling on the Ukrainian President and government to legalize same-gender marriage. The garnered over 25,000 signatures.
Since then, an international petition with the same goal started by KyivPride, a Ukrainian organization fighting for LGBTQ rights, has gained more than 10,000 signatures. Last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the Ukrainian government to consider whether same-gender marriage should be legalized. President Zelenskiy clarified that no changes to the legality of same-gender marriage will be made during the war with Russia.
Photo courtesy of KyivPride on Facebook
