Pride was held in Vienna with the participation of the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ column

Around 10,000 people marched colourfully through the city centre, carrying a variety of paraphernalia and dancing to cheerful music.

At the Pride march there was a convoy of Kyivrpayd, representatives of the LGBTQ+ community from the Ukrainian capital and other cities. On that day they also attended Pride marches in Warsaw, Lublin, Cardiff, Strasbourg and other European cities where Ukrainians have been forced to move because of the Russian invasion. In addition to the organised convoy, some other participants also carried Ukrainian flags.

Ukraine declares adherence to European values, including support for LGBTQ+. Since 2015, prides have been held annually in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine. In 2022, Ukraine ratified the Istanbul Convention. At the same time, a petition appeared to the president about the need to recognize same-sex marriages. Against the backdrop of the Russian invasion, her text sounded like this:

It is important that LGBTQ people have the right to see their partner and have their body removed from the morgue, and to claim compensation if necessary. All married couples have these rights. We really hope that gay marriage will be legalized so that people can take care of each other.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky considered the petition and instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to look for legal ways to legalize same-sex marriages. However, this has not yet happened. In Russia, on the contrary, conservative sentiments are becoming tougher, especially against the background of the unleashed war and an increasingly authoritarian order. Wanting to go against the norms of the Western world, new laws are being introduced, such as banning LGBTQ+ propaganda or the adoption of children by same-sex couples. The latest initiative — a complete ban on changing the biological sex.