A Ukrainian expert explained why the war against Russia has exacerbated the problem of same-sex marriage

During the war against Russia, the problem of same-sex couples in Ukraine became especially noticeable. After all, when one of the partners is mobilized, the other, in the event of death, cannot even see him for the last time. So the legalization of same-sex marriage will be able to equalize the rights of all Ukrainians.

Andrey Kravchuk, an expert at the “Our World” LGBT grant center, stated this in an interview with the Kyiv publication UNN.

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“Same-sex marriages, or at least a partnership that is generally similar to marriage in terms of the scope of its rights and responsibilities, are needed because in any society, including the Ukrainian one, there is a certain percentage of LGBT people. They need the realization of their legal rights to create a family, and this can be realized precisely through some form of legalization of same-sex partnerships. Either marriages or civil unions. Without this, Ukrainian legislation does not give such partners any rights.

And during the war this problem arose especially acutely. After all, if one of the partners is mobilized into the army, the other remains a stranger to him from the point of view of the state. He has no right to visit his partner, or to decide important legal issues, or to inherit, or even to be allowed to see his partner for the last time in the event of his death. Only close relatives have such rights. The circle of relatives is clearly defined by Ukrainian legislation, and there are no same-sex partners there yet, there are only certain exceptions,” says Kravchuk.

According to the expert, the decision to legalize same-sex partnerships will equalize the rights for all Ukrainians. After all, everyone has the right to marriage, but not everyone has the opportunity to take advantage of it.

“Everyone is appealing to the Constitution of Ukraine, which allegedly prohibits the legalization of same-sex marriage. But this is a common prejudice because the Constitution does not define marriage. It states that marriage is based on the free will of the spouses. However, this is not a definition of marriage and does not contradict the legalization of same-sex marriage. But the Ukrainian LGBT community understands quite well that Ukrainians now generally have a negative attitude towards same-sex marriage. Therefore, LGBT representatives agree to a compromise, that is, to a civil union,” Kravchuk noted.

He notes that this form of same-sex partnership is legalized in many countries around the world. Partnerships for same-sex couples were first legalized in Denmark in 1989.

“That is, we already have several decades of experience in the existence of such an institution in developed countries of the world. In none of these countries did this entail any problems, neither social, nor financial, nor moral. These are countries with the highest standard of living in the world. After all, same-sex marriage is now legalized in many countries of America and in all countries of Western Europe, except the Vatican,” the expert said.

We would like to remind you that in recent months, cases of Ukrainian military men coming out of unconventional orientation have become more frequent. Gay organizations also report on social networks that their activists are fighting Russians just like straight Ukrainians.

_{Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky responded to an electronic petition to legalize same-sex marriage in the country, posted on the website of the President of Ukraine on June 3. She was supported by 28 Ukrainians.}

Zelensky thanked those who voted for the legalization of gay marriage and instructed Prime Minister Denis Shmygal to consider the issue raised in the electronic petition, informing about the relevant results.