Viktoriya, a woman from northern Ukraine who is completing her PhD in Berlin, marches in the Christopher Street Day parade on July 23, 2022. Ukrainian lawmakers have passed a bill that will ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
Lawmakers in Ukraine unanimously approved a media regulation bill Dec. 15 that will ban hate speech and incitement based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“It’s a big step for Ukraine, to start adoption of our legislation to European values,” Olena Shevchenko, chair of Insight, a Ukrainian LGBTQ and intersex rights group, told the Washington Blade. “We hope our government will recognize LGBTQI people as equal as soon as possible.”
Ukraine since 2015 has banned employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2021 pledged Ukraine would continue to fight discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity after he met with President Joe Biden at the White House.
Russia on Feb. 24, 2022, launched its war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy less than six months later said he supports a civil partnerships law for same-sex couples.
