How you can help LGBTQ Ukrainians right now

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, LGBTQ people are especially fearful for their lives and futures.

While Ukraine does not fully recognize LGBTQ rights – marriage equality is not legal, for example – the country has come a lot farther than Russia, where LGBTQ people continue to be actively persecuted.

Marriage equality is not legal in Russia, nor do anti-discrimination protections exist for LGBTQ people. The country is also infamous for its “gay propaganda” law, which was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in June 2013 and prohibits the distribution/marketing of any LGBTQ content deemed “harmful” to minors. The U.S. has also revealed that Russia has a “kill list” of Ukrainians it plans to murder or detain. The list includes several LGBTQ people.

LGBTQ Ukrainians are fleeing the country along with the droves of other Ukrainians, and these refugees face another set of challenges as they seek shelter in places like Poland and Hungary that also remain hostile to LGBTQ people.

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