“When there was no money, the organization provided the same food packages. Even project manager Natalia Lobach helped out of her own pocket due to her kindness when the situation was critical. I also sought psychological help from the organization. I still consult with the psychologist at ‘Insight’. She helps me organize my thoughts. Overall, the organization brings together everyone who needs support and creates a healthy community around us. Although over time it is starting to feel like a bubble, I feel safe here,” Mind shares.
In the occupied Donetsk region where he lived, there was no organization supporting him. He never dared to tell his parents about his identity. With the onset of the full-scale invasion, he began looking for ways to escape. At that time, he was 23 years old and had a “passport” from the self-proclaimed “DPR”.
4“After the beginning of the full-scale war, organizations started appearing that evacuated people from Novoazovsk, Mariupol, and other occupied cities. These people were brought to Donetsk through filtration camps. I simply found this organization and asked, ‘Can I leave?’ I didn't even have a Ukrainian passport. I left alone, and it's a miracle that I wasn't checked because they could have sent me back to the occupied territories... I only spent a day at the checkpoint because, as I heard, people could stand there for five days. They interrupted all belongings, took food, searched for devices like flash drives, and checked phones. So, I am glad that I managed to leave,” Mind shared.
In Zaporizhzhia, Mind burned his “passport”, and the city welcomed him with understanding:
“Thanks to ‘Insight’, I now have friends I can trust and open up to. I can be with them as I am. I have the best people, like Oleksa, who constantly supports me and gives me strength to go on.”
5Mind's friend Oleksa (pronouns he, they – editor) is a queer, particularly transgender, person. He is also grateful to the Zaporizhzhia cell for help in difficult times.
6“The organization ‘Insight’ helped me with hormones for a certain time. After all, hormone therapy is very expensive. Several times, my friends and I turned to them for food and hygiene packages when we were in dire straits. And what is generally very good about ‘Insight’ is that the organization constantly conducts various events. Here, you can meet interesting people, listen to something unconventional, and have a great time,” Oleksa recalls.
He came to Zaporizhzhia from Dnipropetrovsk region. In his hometown, people did not accept him. Things didn’t go smoothly in Zaporizhzhia right away either.
“Queer people from my environment suffer not only from societal attitudes but also due to the lack of registered partnerships and any legal protection. Many of my acquaintances have to go through nine circles of hell to get new documents (with a changed name and gender marker – editor). I faced this too. It’s very hard to study, difficult to work, and very challenging to engage in anything when you are queer,” Oleksa adds.
As a result, he has had to leave university twice.
“When you don’t have the right documents (not with the correct gender marker – editor), and you already understand that you are a transgender person, it seems that you just need to endure, keep working, and build your life. But that doesn’t work that way. At times, I simply can’t cope mentally, and because of that, I’ve had to drop out of university twice,” he notes.
We met with another representative of the powerful LGBT+ organization in Zaporizhzhia – Gender Z. In addition to human rights activities, Gender Z provides psychological and legal support, creating a safe space for queer people, says Kostya Andriyev, a representative of the organization (pronoun he – editor).
7“From the very beginning, we had an initiative group operating based on the HIV service organization ‘100% Life’. We gathered in their office since 2009, organizing various events. In 2020, we were already working in our own office. Among the largest projects I can highlight are the trainings from the ‘School of Tolerance’. Over the 12 years of the project’s existence, we have held about 200 trainings,” Konstantin recalls.
The organization began its work in 2009. Initially, it was an initiative group of LGBT activists, and by 2018, the Gender Z team organized its first major event, which ended in an attack.
“‘Celebrating Diversity’ – that was the slogan of Eurovision at the time. Under it, we held the first open action at the city hall. Because it was open, the locals knew about the details of the incident, not just journalists. And it was the first action where I was harmed. Although it was guarded by the police, that didn’t stop a man from coming and throwing an explosive device into the crowd. He was detained and fined 18,000 hryvnias. It was painful because the man approached us with aggressive intentions. On camera, he said he didn’t understand why gays even exist… So, he had a clear motive of hatred,” added the event organizer.
8The next pride in Zaporizhzhia was planned for 2022 due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. However, the full-scale war began.
“I remember the day before that. On February 23, I wrote news on the website stating that Russian troops had a list of Ukrainian activists who would suffer the most if there was an invasion. American intelligence had reported this. I closed the site and started preparing an announcement for an event on February 24, a group session with a psychologist. Waking up at 5 AM from explosions, I learned that the full-scale war had begun…” Konstantin added.
In those terrifying moments, against the backdrop of rocket sounds, people continued to wait for their session with the psychologist. However, due to security measures, the event was postponed. A week later, Konstantin was helping local volunteer headquarters. In March, Gender Z was distributing humanitarian packages to those in need. However, in October of the same year, due to constant rocket strikes, the team decided to move to a safer city – Kropyvnytskyi.
“I was compiling and submitting lists of Zaporizhzhia LGBT+ individuals in need of humanitarian aid to my colleagues. My colleagues from Kropyvnytskyi processed these requests and provided assistance to people. However, I decided to stay and do what I could on the ground. We supported the military, civilians, and even those living under occupation. The first months of working with people in occupied territories were very difficult, but we managed to help them,” the activist shared his memories.
9It was during the full-scale invasion that Konstantin had the idea to create creative videos for the community for social media.
“We have ‘gay news’ on Instagram and a YouTube show called ‘Gay Propaganda’, where our ally, a heterosexual woman, debunks myths and stereotypes about people and the community. Initially, we started with short videos on TikTok, where we shared news about queerness and the lives of queer people. The idea sounded absurd at that time, especially since we filmed everything on a regular iPhone front camera. But the content resonated with the audience, so we continue to do this,” Konstantin explains.
Konstantin emphasizes the importance of draft law No. 5488, which criminalizes hate-based attacks. His organization, along with other NGOs, conducts training for law enforcement agencies.
“Police officers and investigators dealing with hate crime cases often don’t know how to handle such crimes, what a hate crime actually is, and how to investigate it. Most of the time, such cases fall under hooliganism (although most EU countries have clearly defined laws separately qualifying hate crimes – editor). Therefore, it’s important for us to work systematically on this topic, training them with the support of international donors. Thanks to them, we can raise such issues. And I believe that now the police are much more open to LGBT+ people. Not least thanks to us, because we recall the experiences of our rainbow flash mobs, pride events, and conduct informational campaigns,” Konstantin noted.
The Gender Z organization shares new cases of hate-based attacks on its social media. However, Konstantin believes that in recent years, there has been more acceptance and support for queer people in Zaporizhzhia.