In socially conservative Ukraine, the fight for LGBTQ rights has taken on new meaning with the presence of gay and lesbian soldiers fighting on the front lines. Members of the LGBTQ community in Ukraine have long faced discrimination and violence, with pride parades often being attacked before the war, and homophobic attitudes being pervasive throughout society. However, the greater visibility of LGBTQ military personnel has appeared to be a catalyst for acceptance in wider society, with opinion polls showing that attitudes are changing.
Junior sergeant Ivan Honzyk, who serves in a medical unit evacuating wounded soldiers and providing emergency first aid, is one of many gay and lesbian soldiers fighting on the front lines. His uncompromising self-expression, combined with his work in places like Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that has seen some of the bloodiest battles of the war, has become a potent symbol of the country’s defiance against Russia, one of the world’s most conspicuously homophobic states.
Honzyk’s posts on his Instagram profile, which features pole-dancing, cross-dressing, and fierce makeup, have become a bold statement in Ukraine. His photo in high heels and stockings next to an image of him in military uniform has gotten the most likes by far. He says that his fellow soldiers are really impressed with the massive scale of work that he has done in Bakhmut, and after that, they just don’t care about who he sleeps with.
Plenty of other gay and lesbian soldiers have also posted photos and videos of themselves online, some sporting unicorn insignia on their uniform, the mythical creature an ironic riposte to the idea that there are no LGBTQ people in the military.
In recognition of their services, Ukrainian lawmakers recently tabled draft legislation that would recognize same-sex relationships and address the lack of inheritance, medical, and other rights for the partners of LGBTQ soldiers killed or wounded fighting pro-Moscow forces. Honzyk says that “The better way to change attitudes is what we’re doing now. We entered the military, and we’re showing that we’re worthy. We’re doing real missions, dangerous missions.”
However, across the border, President Vladimir Putin has maintained that he launched the invasion in February 2022 to protect Russian-speaking people in Ukraine’s east while attempting to frame what he calls the “special military operation” as a defense of morality against un-Russian liberal values promoted by the West. Putin has frequently espoused “traditional values” in his speeches and framed gender-transition surgery and same-sex parenting as morally degenerate Western imports. In December, he signed a new law expanding Russia’s restrictions on the promotion of what it calls “gay propaganda,” effectively outlawing any public expression of LGBTQ behavior in Russia.
Activists like Edward Reese, a nonbinary communications officer with KyivPride, said Russia’s invasion had sharpened Ukraine’s sense of its own distinct identity and caused many of his countrymen to show more empathy towards their LGBTQ compatriots. Reese said that people see that homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism are Russian values, and they understand that they don’t want to have anything in common with Russia.
While there has been progress in the fight for LGBTQ rights in Ukraine, Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian politician, cautioned that the level of support for LGBTQ rights can be overstated. Outside of the country’s main metropolitan centers, life for LGBTQ people can be difficult