KyivPride returns to capital for the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion
Photo: Reuters
On June 9, at 1:00 p.m., Kyiv Art Center Closer will host a charitable educational festival. The event's program includes lectures, discussions, creative workshops, a fair of Ukrainian brands, master classes, psychological consultations, and musical performances.
The organizers report this.
The festival will also celebrate the winners of the KyivPride Awards, which are given to "allies of the LGBTQ+ community."
This award can be received by:
- politicians,
- businesses,
- media,
- public figures who actively support the equality and rights of LGBTQ+ people.
To participate, you need to register using the link.
The entry fee starts at 150 hryvnias and serves as a charitable donation.
All funds collected will be donated to the pride fundraiser, which aims to raise 4 million hryvnias to support the military.
In addition, the Equality March, which was last held in Kyiv in 2021, will take place on June 16.
Solutions from Ukraine: Ukrainian activists launch campaign to support LGBTQ+ military personnel
Due to martial law, the event will take place in the Kyiv metro, and no more than 500 people will be able to attend.
The KyivPride team is currently in talks with the military administration about planning the march. The complete schedule of events will be posted on the KyivPride Instagram page soon.
For reference:
The history of the Equality Marches dates back to 1969 when a police raid was conducted at the Stonewall Inn gay bar in New York. This resulted in confrontations and numerous arrests. In response, thousands of furious members of the LGBT community took to the streets to protest the actions of the police and to stand against oppression.
These events became the first case in history when people resisted the system of persecution of sexual minorities legalized by the state. The demonstrations later became known as the Stonewall Riots, which became one of the symbols of the LGBT movement's struggle for civil rights. This uprising gave impetus to the development of numerous LGBT organizations.
In the same year, LGBT activist Craig Rodwell proposed at the conference that Stonewall's anniversary be celebrated annually with a mass march. Thus, in 1970, the first pride in history took place—activists came out against criminal prosecution and discrimination.
Later, Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, Los Angeles, and San Francisco took up the initiative. In 1978, during the 8th Gay Pride in San Francisco, the now famous rainbow flag, created by the artist Gilbert Baker, was flown.
In the same year, the first LGBT demonstration took place in Europe, namely in London. This was followed by Paris (1971), Berlin (1979), and Dublin (1983), and this is how Equality Marches began to be held around the world.
Pride is called differently in different countries.
As a reminder, in 2023, the Ukrainian public organization, "KyivPride," held the Equality March in Liverpool due to the ongoing war. It was a powerful event, with thousands of people coming together in the British city.
