Ukraine, the east
European nation besieged by war and coloured in blood, is seeing a faint
rainbow emerge after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky opened the doors to
same-sex civil partnerships in the nation. Zelensky’s decision was prompted by
a petition asking for the same.

The LGBTQ+
movement has gained steam in Ukraine since the beginning of its war with
Russia. Thousands of LGBTQ+ people have served the Ukrainian military amid war.
The call to introduce same-sex marriage was made to ensure legal protections
available to heterosexual marriages to same-sex relationships.

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Replying to the
petition, Zelensky said that while it would be impossible to legalise same-sex
marriages while the country was at war because that would require a change in
the constitution, the government has “worked out solutions regarding the
legalisation of registered civil partnership in Ukraine as part of the work on
establishing and ensuring human rights and freedoms.”

Zelensky wrote on
the Ukraine President’s website: “The Family Code of Ukraine defines that the Family
is the primary and main unit of society. A family consists of people who live
together, are connected to common life, have mutual rights and obligations.”

“According to the
Constitution of Ukraine, marriage is based on free consent of a woman and a
man. The Constitution of Ukraine cannot be changed during a martial law or
state of emergency (Article 157 of the Constitution of Ukraine).”

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“In the modern
world, the level of democratic society is measured, among other things, through
state policy aimed at ensuring equal rights for all citizens. Every citizen is
an inseparable part of civil society, he is entitled to all the freedoms and
rights enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine,” Zelensky said, adding, “All
people are free and equal in their dignity and rights.”

In Ukraine,
homosexuality turned legal after the fall of the Soviet Union (1991). However, heteronormative
attitudes and laws remained. Out of 40 nations in Europe, Ukraine ranks 39th
in protecting LGBTQ+ rights, according to a report prepared by ILGA-Europe, an
LGBTQ+ rights watchdog.

Every year, Ukraine
capital Kyiv saw a Pride Parade in June. This year, however, Ukrainians held
the parade in Poland’s capital Warsaw owing to the war at home.