Representatives of the Ukrainian LGBT+ community joined several tens of thousands of participants in the Pride Parade in Warsaw on Saturday June 25, in a joint march marking their mutual solidarity and opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The march began with a minute's silence for the victims of the nighttime shooting near a gay bar in Oslo, which led to the cancellation of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Pride march. , transgender, queer and others) in the Norwegian capital.

"Love will prevail, justice will prevail and our fight for equal rights for all and our support for the LGBTQ+ community is unequivocal and will remain so," Norway's Ambassador to Warsaw, Anders H. Eide, said. at the start of the march. 

A tide of rainbow flags of LGBT+ communities flooded the main avenues of Warsaw, dotted this year with the blue and yellow colors of neighboring Ukraine.

"Today we march with Warsaw Pride... We are very grateful to him and to the Polish community for hosting Pride," Kyiv Pride told reporters. , banned this year like all events, due to the state of emergency.

And to recall: "War does not discriminate (between people of different sexual orientations, editor's note). We all die the same way". 

"As the LGBTQI community of Ukraine, we want to remind everyone that if we want LGBTQI rights in Ukraine to survive, the war must end," added Lenny Emson.

A large number of Ukrainians have found refuge in Poland fleeing the war.

The march in Warsaw was organized under the patronage of the liberal mayor of the Polish capital, Rafal Trzaskowski, and in the presence of the European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli. 

According to a recent report by the NGO ILGA-Europe, bringing together more than 600 LGBTQ+ associations from 54 countries, Poland remains the European Union country most closed to sexual minorities.

In kyiv, in the absence of a parade, around sixty people gathered late Saturday afternoon in a small nightclub in the city center, the G-Club Versace, in a festive but also patriotic atmosphere. 

As a dance performance unfolded on stage, to the sound of the Village People's hit "YMCA," a couple embraced, wrapped in a Ukrainian flag.

"The important thing is to accept people as they are" and "what we can do today to help our country (...) Everyone can be useful" says Victoria Myhoula, 28 .

And "if we move towards the European Union, we must show that society is open," she adds, as Ukraine has just obtained official EU candidate status. 

Oleksiï Krasnenko, 26, one of the club's sponsors, said he was also proud to donate part of his proceeds to the Ukrainian army. 

"Ukraine is a free country, an open country," he says, even if he also mentions discrimination against LGBT fighters who went to the front. 

The last Pride in kyiv, in 2019, took place under heavy police presence, due to counter-demonstrations by far-right and Orthodox activists.

Although discreet, the Saturday evening was also disrupted by a small group of young men in fatigues, who caused a brief fight in front of the club.

A police raid followed.

With AFP

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