Kharkiv activists hold annual Pride event

More than 60 people took part in a pride event organised by activists in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Sunday.

A press release issued by Kharkiv Pride said 13 cars “traveled along one of the city’s main roads to raise awareness about the need to protect human rights and secure international support for the defense and reconstruction of Kharkiv.”

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, is less than 30 miles from the Russian border in the country’s east.

Russia has repeatedly targeted the city since the Kremlin began its war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

A Russian airstrike on March 1, 2022, killed Elvira Shemour, an LGBTQ rights activist who volunteered with the groups Kharkiv Pride and Kyiv Pride in the Ukrainian capital. Sarah Ashton Cirillo, a transgender American journalist who now serves in the Ukrainian Defense Forces, arrived in Kharkiv eight days after Shemour’s death.

“Several LGBTQ+ soldiers took part in the march,” a press release from Kharkiv Pride said.

“We need to make it visible that there are LGBTQ+ people in the military,” Vlad, an LGBTQ soldier known by his call sign “Sapsan,” said in a Kharkiv Pride press release. “Those who take part in the march represent the voices of those on the frontline and those who, sadly, are no longer with us.”

In a press release, Kharkiv Pride expressed support for the bill, which would legally recognize same-sex couples and add sexual orientation and gender identity to Ukraine’s hate crimes law.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the civil partnership bill in August 2022.

Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would continue to fight discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity after meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House in 2021. Ukrainian lawmakers unanimously approved a media restriction bill in late 2022 banning hate speech and incitement based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Each vehicle group carried a specific message to the authorities and international partners,” Kharkiv Pride said in a press release. “Kharkov Pride calls on the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine to pass the bill strengthening accountability for hate crimes (bill No. 5488) and the bill introducing registered partnerships (bill No. 9103).”

“Activists also call on European countries to protect the skies over Kharkiv with modern air defense systems and call on international partners to take into account the needs of underrepresented and vulnerable groups and involve them in the decision-making process when drawing up a recovery plan,” it added.

Anna Shalikhina, co-organizer of Kharkiv Pride, said this year’s theme is “Together for Equality and Victory.”

“Every day we are reminded of how important Ukraine’s victory is,” Shalykhina said. “The fight for equal rights and protection for the LGBTQ+ community is just as important to us. We cannot deny the rights of those who are risking their lives to fight. It is unjust and dignified, and the war has only highlighted these challenges.”