The director of Kyiv Pride on saving LGBTQ lives during the war in Ukraine
Invisible. Lenny Emson, the Director of Ukraine’s Kyiv Pride, repeated the word. Related: Meet the gay Ukrainian men willing to go to war for their country In saying it a second time, the context, the meaning, the reality of the word became clear.Invisible.According to Emson, the LGBTQ community in the Ukrainian capital, and as an extension across the nation, was overlooked, forgotten in the days after the Russian terrorists invaded the nation.Yet, for the patriotic, bi-gendered leader of Kyiv’s LGBTQ community, this realization, although frustrating, spurred him/her and Kyiv Pride to find solutions that would help save these vulnerable lives.February of 2022 began full of promise.
Emson was in Canada, preparing to spend the month celebrating both his/her third wedding anniversary and birthday. Then the war began, and although Emson could have stayed in North America (his/her wife is Canadian) that wasn’t Emson’s calling. “I told her I’m going back; I can’t just sit and watch.” Emson arrived to a hellish nightmare.“The nation was under attack.
So as Ukrainians, we all had to focus on our nation’s well-being, but as the Director of Kyiv Pride, I had an additional responsibility.
Our needs weren’t being met. We’ve made a lot of progress, but during the invasion, the health issues, the safety issues that are part of our community, weren’t being addressed.
