Ukrainian gays and lesbians talked about their achievements in 2009
Activists of the gay and lesbian community of Ukraine held the final annual forum in Kiev, where they talked about their achievements and failures in 2009, as well as the plans for the next year.
The event was held with the financial support from the International Alliance on HIV/AIDS in Ukraine.
The forum summed up the results of the gay organizations activity in 2009 and set the goals for 2010. There were presented the results of the three key studies, conducted in 2009: same-sex partnerships in Ukraine, the level of HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM), as well as the study to determine the needs of MSM in social and health services.
‘The year 2009 was very productive for us in many ways’, - says Laima Gaydar, chairwoman of the feminist-lesbian organization the ‘Women's Network’. – ‘First, LGBT infrastructure has become stronger in Ukraine: at present there are 21 registered gay and lesbian organizations and more than 20 informal associations of gays, lesbians and bisexuals. There are 25 HIV-service and other organizations that provide social and medical services to people who practice same-sex relationships. Second, we are witnessing an increase in tolerance towards homosexual people among leading politicians. Third, homophobic rhetoric of religious organizations has weakened considerably. Among the negative aspects we have to note the increase in criminal and terrorist activities among far-right faction because of hate towards homosexual citizens’.
korrespondent.net/