"We are still at the pre-Stonewall level!" exclaimed a Ukrainian LGBT rights activist in Kyiv on June 22, 2012.
As amazing and inspiring as Pride events have become over the years,
they do not yet extend universally, especially to certain regions and
entire countries in Eastern Europe. A case in point included actions on
Sunday, May 20, of this year, when organizers of the first scheduled
Pride march planned for Ukraine in their capital city Kyiv were
compelled to cancel the event over safety concerns as an estimated 500
neo-Nazi nationalists threatened to disrupt the proceedings. A group of
masked thugs savagely attacked activist and organizer Svyatoslav
Sheremet of the group Gay Forum of Ukraine, following a media briefing
regarding the march’s cancellation called just before it was due to
start. Also, the previous day, vandals destroyed a photo exhibit that
showcased the lives of LGBT families in Ukraine under the former Soviet
Republic. This came shortly following the seventh consecutive
prohibition by Russian authorities of Moscow Pride activities.
