Gays in Novorossia
LGBT refugees
A 20-year old Vladimir fled the Enakievo town (Donetsk region) in May when the military operation had been just beginning. Before that the young man studied in Lugansk and had been going back to his native town for vacations. According to him, he was forced to flee the Eastern Ukraine due to threats and pressure. Donbass, he says, has become not safe for gays.
"In the end of May I went back to Enakievo from Lugansk, a city where I had been studying. During one month people's attitude to LGBT had changed noticeably - it had become not safe to stay there. Once I went outside wearing the red jeans, miscreants started to insult me and then tried to run me down and beat me. I decided to leave the town", told Vladimir.
Svyatoslav Sheremet, the leader of the Gay-Forum Ukraine, has confirmed the fact of persecution of LGBT people in Donbass.
"The Constitution of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) declares that "the DPR does not recognize, does not authorize and persecutes any forms of pervert unions between people of the same sex". We had members of our LGBT organization in dozens of towns and villages of Donbass regions. Actually in that region we had the most dense number of our members per capita. With the breaking of the conflict and especially when it had escalated many guys fled the conflict zone. They do not want to loose their young lives. One guy from Makeevka (suburb of Donetsk), member of our organization has received the refugee status in the Netherlands", said activist.
The same fact about gays being persecuted in Donbass was also confirmed by Alexandra Nemchinova who has got the status of LGBT refugee at the present. She told that the DNR warriors were hunting gays and lesbians on the streets. In the beginning of June some of the Donetsk militia men raided a gay club in Donetsk and beat only young men who were inside, young ladies were not assaulted.
The Insight public organization has established a special shelter for LGBT refugees from East-South Ukraine. It can accommodate up to 6 people. Thanks to that shelter Vladimir managed to leave the conflict zone. The "Insight" is ready to accommodate settlers from Crimea.
"We held the LGBT conference on Kiev. I sent my application for participation in that meeting, left the town and never came back. At the conference I have learned about the LGBT shelter in Kiev. I used this opportunity in order to stay in the Ukrainian capital", told a young man.
The exact number of gays who fled the Donbass is not easy to count. According Andrey Sokolov, a public figure, professor of Lugansk national university named after Taras Shevchenko, around 20% of homosexuals left Lugansk, others stayed there and went underground.
In Lugansk "the people's militia" is searching for the murderer of a gay and makes lists of homosexuals
Lugansk, February 2, early morning a gay was knifed. According to the friends of the murdered man, the Lugansk People's Republic the "people's militia" were investigating the criminal case. They have taken the cellular phone of the killed and looked through the phone book for the personal details of gays who were then called to appear at the local police department, questioned and given fingerprints.
"I've been called to appear there, I refused. I said I could tell everything over the phone. They said I could have been placed as the eyewitness. But how can I be an eyewitness when I were not at the crime scene? At the police station they were asking about gays - who, where and how. That is why I did not want to go there and did not wanted to inform the police on our people", told Andrey Sokolov.
Long before there have already been gay lists in Lugansk. In 1998 the police had supposedly taken a gay's note book with telephone numbers of active members of the local LGBT community. "Lugansk had the "database on gays". In the beginning of 2000's there were more than one databases. I personally saw them. Databases on gays, criminals, drug-addicted, prostitutes. There were phone numbers and addresses of the people. I believe today the police used these bases because they have called even those people who did not know the murdered to appear at the local police station", added Andrey.
However not all gays there feel themselves insecure with homophobic authorities of the self-proclaimed republics. For example, Maxim Kasyanchuk said he was at that time in Mariupol and did not feel any changes towards LGBT people. It is most likely that at present the authorities of DPR and LPR do not have time and resources to lead the "fight against moral turpitude". Sooner or later the war will end and with regaining of the peace the self-proclaimed authorities might start to exercise the Constitution and begin to persecute gays and lesbians.
Gays in the Army of Novorossia
There are ones among gays who support and even are on the side of the Donetsk and Lugansk rebels. Despite every threat they fight for the Novorossia.
"My friend, who is gay, has become jobless and homeless. Then he decided to fight on the side of the Lugansk People's Republic. Soon after the establishment of the regular army the government of the LPR has begun to filter the army quadres, gays were withdrawn from the frontline. And my friend resigned. He started to fight in a Cossacks brigade, spent two months under the fire. Just only recently have I managed to persuade him to turn back to peaceful activities. He found the job and has the pro-Russian stance", said Andrey Sokolov.
"There are ones who on the Kiev's side and there are ones who want the Donbass to be a part of Russia despite the gay hate there. Now the sentiments of gays are divided equally", added Andrey.
We thank the "Gay-Forum Ukraine" for help in making interviews with the people of Donbass.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
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LGBT refugees
A 20-year old Vladimir fled the Enakievo town (Donetsk region) in May when the military operation had been just beginning. Before that the young man studied in Lugansk and had been going back to his native town for vacations. According to him, he was forced to flee the Eastern Ukraine due to threats and pressure. Donbass, he says, has become not safe for gays.
"In the end of May I went back to Enakievo from Lugansk, a city where I had been studying. During one month people's attitude to LGBT had changed noticeably - it had become not safe to stay there. Once I went outside wearing the red jeans, miscreants started to insult me and then tried to run me down and beat me. I decided to leave the town", told Vladimir.
"The Constitution of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) declares that "the DPR does not recognize, does not authorize and persecutes any forms of pervert unions between people of the same sex". We had members of our LGBT organization in dozens of towns and villages of Donbass regions. Actually in that region we had the most dense number of our members per capita. With the breaking of the conflict and especially when it had escalated many guys fled the conflict zone. They do not want to loose their young lives. One guy from Makeevka (suburb of Donetsk), member of our organization has received the refugee status in the Netherlands", said activist.
The Insight public organization has established a special shelter for LGBT refugees from East-South Ukraine. It can accommodate up to 6 people. Thanks to that shelter Vladimir managed to leave the conflict zone. The "Insight" is ready to accommodate settlers from Crimea.
"We held the LGBT conference on Kiev. I sent my application for participation in that meeting, left the town and never came back. At the conference I have learned about the LGBT shelter in Kiev. I used this opportunity in order to stay in the Ukrainian capital", told a young man.
The exact number of gays who fled the Donbass is not easy to count. According Andrey Sokolov, a public figure, professor of Lugansk national university named after Taras Shevchenko, around 20% of homosexuals left Lugansk, others stayed there and went underground.
In Lugansk "the people's militia" is searching for the murderer of a gay and makes lists of homosexuals
Lugansk, February 2, early morning a gay was knifed. According to the friends of the murdered man, the Lugansk People's Republic the "people's militia" were investigating the criminal case. They have taken the cellular phone of the killed and looked through the phone book for the personal details of gays who were then called to appear at the local police department, questioned and given fingerprints.
"I've been called to appear there, I refused. I said I could tell everything over the phone. They said I could have been placed as the eyewitness. But how can I be an eyewitness when I were not at the crime scene? At the police station they were asking about gays - who, where and how. That is why I did not want to go there and did not wanted to inform the police on our people", told Andrey Sokolov.
Long before there have already been gay lists in Lugansk. In 1998 the police had supposedly taken a gay's note book with telephone numbers of active members of the local LGBT community. "Lugansk had the "database on gays". In the beginning of 2000's there were more than one databases. I personally saw them. Databases on gays, criminals, drug-addicted, prostitutes. There were phone numbers and addresses of the people. I believe today the police used these bases because they have called even those people who did not know the murdered to appear at the local police station", added Andrey.
However not all gays there feel themselves insecure with homophobic authorities of the self-proclaimed republics. For example, Maxim Kasyanchuk said he was at that time in Mariupol and did not feel any changes towards LGBT people. It is most likely that at present the authorities of DPR and LPR do not have time and resources to lead the "fight against moral turpitude". Sooner or later the war will end and with regaining of the peace the self-proclaimed authorities might start to exercise the Constitution and begin to persecute gays and lesbians.
Gays in the Army of Novorossia
There are ones among gays who support and even are on the side of the Donetsk and Lugansk rebels. Despite every threat they fight for the Novorossia.
"My friend, who is gay, has become jobless and homeless. Then he decided to fight on the side of the Lugansk People's Republic. Soon after the establishment of the regular army the government of the LPR has begun to filter the army quadres, gays were withdrawn from the frontline. And my friend resigned. He started to fight in a Cossacks brigade, spent two months under the fire. Just only recently have I managed to persuade him to turn back to peaceful activities. He found the job and has the pro-Russian stance", said Andrey Sokolov.
"There are ones who on the Kiev's side and there are ones who want the Donbass to be a part of Russia despite the gay hate there. Now the sentiments of gays are divided equally", added Andrey.
We thank the "Gay-Forum Ukraine" for help in making interviews with the people of Donbass.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
Alexander Perlov.
Picture by Paul Richmond - "War Paint", a piece.
February, 16, 2015
Picture by Paul Richmond - "War Paint", a piece.
February, 16, 2015
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