As a result of the Russian attack, many people found themselves in difficult situations - thousands were forced to leave their homes, evacuate to other places or countries. Many lost their jobs without savings, lost their homes and safety. The situation remains difficult and unpredictable - decisions have to be made quickly, sometimes without proper preparations. Even those who stay at home can fall victim to the bombings of residential areas.
The Ukrainian LGBTQ + community - as it is in any country – is heterogeneous with different recourses, in particular, when it comes to financial situation. These days, most aid, donations, and fundraisers focus on the military and local volunteer defense initiatives. It means that people in need are mostly unable to get the support from local communities or social services.
The LGBTQ + community is particularly vulnerable in this situation - rejection by society as a whole, high levels of aggression, and general tensions do not contribute to an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual assistance. Almost anything - person's appearance, unusual behavior, symbols - can be a risk factor during a military conflict.
The need to stay in shared shelters, evacuate and live with new people poses a danger to LGBTQ + people, including couples, in situations of forced outings, that are not always well received and can lead to attacks, expulsions, threats and refusals to provide safe hiding places.
A separate group is people who had to return to their families - a significant proportion of such people once moved to other places because they could not withstand the pressure of homophobia and / or transphobia from their relatives and now they have no choice but to return to this uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous environment.
We are an organization that unites LGBTQ + people in Ukraine. We are well aware of the challenges they face, as we receive dozens of requests for help every day.
So far, we have identified three main emergencies: