On the eve of the local elections Gay Alliance Ukraine sent letters containing questions that are most urgent and vital for LGBT community and non-profit organizations and that can be solved on the level of local authorities to all candidates for Mayor of Kyiv.
The letter was the following:
“At the point of the Kyiv Mayor elections Ukrainian public organization Gay Alliance Ukraine would like to ask you some questions concerning your future activity in case you are elected.
Our organization is non-profit one and currently the relations between such organizations and the State are not regulated properly. We believe that there is a list of very important issues concerning non-profit organizations (NPO) that should be arranged on the level of local authorities.
Will you take any steps of assistance in giving NPOs public premises for rent at reduced rates? Currently NPOs often get refusals on the ground of absence of vacant public premises.
Will NPOs have system of utilities payment at reduced rates, including situations when an NGO rents a private premise?
Do you plan to provide background for commissions or committees working on the issues of gender equality?
As UPO Gay Alliance Ukraine works with LGBT community and protects its interests, we also care about issues that associated directly with LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people).
Do you plan to support non-governmental organizations and public initiatives for LGBT? Members of LGBT community are tax payers and they need local authorities to support the events aimed at the evolvement of the community.
Will you support KyivPride and Equality March in 2016? Can you guarantee safety for the participants of the Equality March and exercise of right for peaceful gatherings for all citizens of Ukraine?
Our organization has representative offices in 15 Ukrainian cities, public LGBT centres are created in 7 of them. Most of visitors live in Kyiv and your support would be very important for them”.
The letters were sent on October 19.
Only one party, namely Oleh Liashko’s Radical Party, answered. The letter was sent to its infamous representative Ihor Mosiichuk who was in the list of candidates for Mayor of Kyiv on the Central Electoral Commission website by the time the letters were sent. We publish this answer without any changes, to avoid value judgement:
1. He withdrew his candidacy long ago
2. Ihor is under arrest
3. First check, then write
4. YOU OBVIOUSLY GOT THE WRONG PLACE with your questions!
Other candidates and their press services probably did not consider these questions to be important as well as did not think that official letters asking for comments on the issues that were crucial not only for LGBT organizations needed answering.
Автор: Kira Kowalski
