Amidst the war, LGBTQ+ Ukrainians share their stories to support mental health this Pride Month
President Zelenskyy is keen to emphasise the liberality of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, many LGBTQ+ Ukrainians are concerned about the potential impacts the invasion will have on their burgeoning civil rights.“Of course, this worries us,” says Yura Dvizhon, creative director of UKRAINEPRIDE, a queer patriotic movement which nurtures Ukrainian cultural identity at home and abroad.“Russia comes to our land and wants to take it away, establish its own rules and take away the freedom that exists in Ukraine.“People in Kherson, Mariupol or hundreds of other places occupied by Russia suffer.“Of course, there are LGBTQ+ people in these cities and they need a lot of help, because being different in Russia is one of the worst and hardest things that a person can handle.”A post shared by YURA DVIZHON (@dvizhon)Dvizhon is one of a number of participants who are partaking in ‘LGBTQ+Me.
Embracing Our Differences,’ a collaborative project between UKRAINEPRIDE and BetterMe, a global behavioural-health care company which is headquartered in Kyiv.Research shows that depression, discrimination by family members, trouble sleeping, and feelings of hopelessness are all higher in the queer community.
