On July 30, hundreds of LGBTQ activists gathered in front of the Office of the President of Ukraine, setting up a stage, bringing DJs and blasting music in Kyiv’s Bankova street.
During the protest, police clashed with far-right group members protesting against the LGBTQ community’s values but the rally ended without any major incidents.
The ‘Rave Pride protest for LGBTQ rights’ was organized by the newly-established nonprofit UkrainePride that was founded after some of its members split from Kyiv Pride, the nonprofit that has been holding the annual Equality March since 2013.
In Ukraine, raves are popular gatherings among the LGBTQ community. Underground, they provide safe and tolerant spaces where people feel free from judgment.
One of the July 30 protest’s demands was to bring legal changes that would protect LGBTQ people and properly investigate past crimes against the community.
But activists don’t believe these changes are possible without reform and demanded further reforms of the police, the prosecutor general’s office and the justice system.
Read also: Rave for LGBTQ rights to take place outside of president’s administration
