
Ukrainian LGBTQ2S+ community hopes for safe escape: ‘Please, don’t leave us alone’
Global News
As Russian forces continue their invasion on Ukraine, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community sleep in safe houses awaiting the right time to flee the war.
As Russian forces continue their invasion on Ukraine, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community sleep in safe houses awaiting the right time to flee their homeland.
“There’s a huge sense of being together and helping each other – this little queer family feeling,” said Lenny Emson, executive director of Kyiv Pride.
In partnership with Gay Alliance Ukraine, Kyiv Pride, which started back in 2012, has opened up a shelter for members of the community to stay and eat before fleeing the country.
“People stay for a few days to wait for a train or a bus to relocate further. It’s a real little family there, despite the fact that people are coming and going,” Emson, who uses she/he pronouns, said to Global News from Ukraine.
The organization also provides medication to those in need, daily psychological support groups, and transportation to the border.
“The LGBTQ2S+ community is among the most vulnerable and the poorest part of the population,” said Emson. “People are losing their homes, losing their relatives. They run from bombs, they run from shelling,” s_he said.
Kyiv Pride is the largest pride organization in the country. Last year, 7,000 people marched through the centre of Ukraine’s capital during pride celebrations.
Since the invasion began, the organization has provided direct help to 250 people. However, even when the war ends, the fight won’t, Emson said.