Since the beginning of the invasion, the participation of LGBTI soldiers to the conflict has highlighted significant inequalities. Partners of deceased LGBTI soldiers find themselves still lacking the right to make decisions about their loved ones’ remains and are ineligible for state support.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv revoked an award given to a prominent LGBTI activist and leader of the LGBTI military association, citing their disapproval of his “sinful preferences and LGBTI agitation.”
In January, the Nash Svit Centre released a report on the social, legal, and political challenges faced by Ukraine’s LGBTI community, noting an increase in openly LGBTI military personnel despite restrictive laws. While most experience tolerance from peers and commanders, cases of homo/transphobic discrimination and violence still occur.
In February, Kharkiv Pride revealed that the advertising firm Megapolis abruptly ceased communication about an LGBTI military support campaign. The campaign intended to feature portraits and stories of LGBTI military personnel on advertising billboards in Kyiv and Kharkiv.
In March a 23-year-old man in occupied Yalta was fined 100,000 rubles (1,000 Euro) under Russia’s “LGBTI propaganda” laws for appearing in women’s clothing at a nightclub, reported Nash Svit Centre.
In March, the Ombudsman’s Office released a guide for public officials and service providers on preventing discrimination, highlighting the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity under Ukraine’s anti-discrimination laws. It outlines obligations to address discrimination against LGBTI people and provides recommendations for fostering equality and inclusive policies.
On May 17, the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting issued a statement for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, emphasising the importance of upholding principles of equality and non-discrimination in the media.
In December, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Bill 11456, amending Ukraine’s law “On Free Legal Aid” to include victims of hate crimes based on factors like race, religion, and disability but notably excluding sexual orientation and gender identity. Despite appeals from Gender Stream and other human rights organisations to address this omission, the bill, criticised for neglecting LGBTI rights and violating European Commission recommendations, was adopted in just 13 minutes.
Lisandra Fariñas - Semlac Network / Photo: Hivos/Latin America.- For a trans person, whether living in Honduras, Vietnam, the Netherlands, or anywhere else in the world, the daily challenges are different, but their realities are marked by struggles that know no borders: the recognition of their identity and their human dignity.
This is evidenced by the documentary M/F/X , screened on September 29 at the headquarters of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Havana, as part of Modo Naranja, an initiative that connects the Netherlands and Cuba through bilateral collaboration projects that include activities, workshops and exchanges dedicated to promoting, among other topics, respect for human rights and diversity.
The film, directed by Koen Suidgeest, follows Shantal, a trans woman in Honduras; Minh, a trans man in Vietnam; and Roos, a non-binary person in the Netherlands, to show that discrimination, exclusion, and violence permeate very different social and economic contexts.
Shantal recalls the attacks she suffered on the street, the mockery, and the murder of a friend in broad daylight: "Someone who is only a joke... you can't get a decent job or an education," reflects this woman who, despite everything, managed to become a journalist and carve out a space for herself in her country's media.
Minh describes the fear she has felt for 25 years, the need to purchase hormones on the black market, and the lack of medical and psychological services to support trans people in their transition process.
Roos, who dreams of seeing an “X” in her passport instead of the M or F that do not represent her identity, warns that even in a society considered advanced, the rate of violence among trans people is two to seven times higher than the average and even speaks of those “privileges” that can determine how much more violence you can suffer: “being a white trans person is not the same as being a black trans person,” she maintains.
Despite the rawness of the testimonies, M/F/X also leaves room for hope. Shantal's strength; Minh's determination, as she found a supportive community to continue her transition; and Roos's dreams are reminders that resilience and the pursuit of happiness can open doors even in adverse environments.
Before the screening, the Dutch ambassador to Cuba, Matthijs Wolters, recalled that his country was the first to legalize same-sex marriage and emphasized that human rights, including gender diversity, "require ongoing dialogue, because we are still far from a world free of discrimination."
The documentary, he said, "showcases three distinct societies and invites us to discuss legal frameworks, family and community acceptance, and the paths that remain."
Identities and rights: a necessary dialogue
Following the documentary, the audience participated in a broad and diverse discussion moderated by Ana Mirabal Patterson of the Félix Varela Center. The activist opened the discussion by reminding everyone that "human rights are inalienable, but behind every violation are power relations that determine who has or does not have the right to health, education, and expression."
Doctor and activist Alberto Roque celebrated Cuba's legislative progress—the Constitution, the Family Code, and the National Program for the Advancement of Women—but warned about the gap between the law and its application and implementation: "In health and education, binary views and institutional resistance still persist; we have a very advanced script, but the staging doesn't always match it."
He warned that "nothing that has been achieved in Cuba, or in any other country, is guaranteed, since no right in the world is guaranteed for life" and gave as an example that, even in a country with notable advances in human rights like the Netherlands, there are no absolute certainties in the face of global setbacks in LGBTIQ + rights , he emphasized.
"We need to listen to the true experiences of trans people in order to propose policies and be truly useful allies," Roque said.
For Larian Arias, a queer rights activist, policies must be accompanied by a cultural shift that allows people to fully experience their identity. “In any country, there's always something that limits your happiness if you're a queer person,” she stated. She lamented that, although Cuba has several laws that protect rights for trans people, many are “dead letters.”
"Even today, in 2025, three years after the approval of the directive allowing name changes, you go to the civil registry and they tell you they don't do that procedure there," the activist explained.
Arias urged us to think about the struggle from a collective perspective. "There can't be niches of freedom; freedom must be for all people," she said, urging us not to focus solely on the pain.
"Let's also talk about the joy of being who we are, because our existence is not only suffering," he noted.
Miguel Abreu, director of Ludi Teatro and the Ateneo de La Habana, affirmed that cultural spaces still need to work on respecting diversity and accepting all people on an equal footing.
Trans activist Merle Ramírez emphasized that legal advances are not always reflected in the reality of communities, especially outside of Havana. He emphasized the situation of trans people in rural areas and marginalized neighborhoods, where the lack of privileges exacerbates their vulnerability.
She emphasized that Black transgender people are the most exposed to violence and neglect, and affirmed that true change must come from the community, with programs and workshops that directly reach those most in need.
Writer Julio Cesar Gonzalez Pagés shared the findings of the research that led to his book, " Pingüeros en La Habana," and noted that in Cuba, trans people live in an "environment of violence, micro-violence... perpetrated by men, clients, and even the police, even in central public spaces; although their reality remains largely invisible to society."
She called for a greater presence of trans people in the media and criticized the fact that they are often represented by specialists or executives, which silences their own voices. "What can we do to reverse this?" she questioned, calling for the visibility of a community that continues to be treated as a "disposable minority" in many spaces.
For filmmaker Yasmani Castro Caballero, it is crucial to look toward rural realities, a call echoed by Mirabal, who emphasized the urgency of supporting children with diverse identities. This protection, they agreed, must extend specifically to non-urban environments, where the vulnerability and invisibility of trans people are often greater.
The exchange concluded with a consensus: M/F/X not only narrates the struggles of Shantal, Minh, and Roos, but also questions each context so that trans rights become a tangible reality.
"The challenge," Mirabal summarized, "is for laws, policies, and discourse to become practices of everyday respect. Otherwise, we will continue to talk about rights in the abstract, while people's lives remain at risk."
Some photos of event(can't post all of em due to being rate limited at this moment for image uploads):
- Following the documentary, the audience participated in a broad and diverse discussion moderated by Ana Mirabal Patterson of the Félix Varela Center. Photo: SEMlac Cuba
- For Larian Arias, a queer rights activist, policies must be accompanied by a cultural shift that allows for identity to be fully lived. Photo: SEMlac Cuba
- Trans activist Merle Ramírez drew attention to the situation of trans people in rural areas and marginalized neighborhoods, where the lack of privilege exacerbates their vulnerability. Photo: SEMlac Cuba
- Writer Julio César Gonzalez Pagés called for a greater presence of transgender people in the media. Photo: SEMlac Cuba
It's one I've heard more than a few times before from liberal "allies" who love to talk down to any queer people that don't debase themselves to whatever local liberal party that pretends to care about us and our rights while doing nothing to actually help us or even fight those trying to actively destroy us.
Like, I don't know what gay or trans people had to go through under Stalin and it probably wasn't good given this was the early 20th century and communist movements weren't very good on queer rights back then but even if Stalin was personally ordering the execution of gay & trans people what does that even matter? How is that some kind of stunning rebuke of communism? One communist does some bad stuff and somehow all of communism is responsible as if Karl Marx himself wrote "kill them removed lmao" in the Manifesto or something?
Why is Stalin and Stalin alone the arbitrator of what is and isn't communism? Do these people think he's the only communist to have ever existed? What about all the gay & trans communists that were contemporaries of him? Do they just not matter? I don't know, maybe this belongs more in the "Shit Reactionaries Say" community.
Stalin could've been the most queerphobic person in history for all I care. That doesn't have any impact on whether or not queer people belong in the communist movement. It's just an intellectually lazy argument. Like, I don't care? Why would I care what Stalin would've done to me? I don't live under Stalin. Stalin is dead. Stalin isn't the only communist to exist, much less to lead a country. I don't worship Stalin the way liberals worship Obama.
Castro had gay people tortured, later realized & admitted he was wrong to do so, and worked to expand queer rights in Cuba. Perfect? Not at all, but at least he was willing to grow and change things for the better even in old age.
Obama ran on a campaign of anti-gay marriage until Biden told him it was popular and he changed his stance so he could win, let the Supreme Court do all the work for him, then promptly did fuck all to improve the conditions of gays in the US. His party has since abandoned trans people and is now trying to abandon gays too.
It's almost like communists have actual moral compasses and can change their views when presented with new information while liberals are self-serving ghouls that only care about what's popular or financially beneficial to them.
Yet you point out that queer rights are only being taken seriously by Left-wing movements these days and libs cry about how it's just commies trying to manipulate or deceive people. Pure fucking projection.
Sorry for the rant this ended up being longer than I intended.
yeesh
Cry me a river, Elon
LGBTQ+
For anything and everything to do with the LGBTQ+ community!