A Road to Freedom: How Ukrainian LGBT Soldiers Are Fighting Both the Enemy and Stereotypes
In 2018, Ukrainian artist Anton Shebetko presented the “We Were Here” art exhibition, where he explored the topic of the LGBTQ soldier’s visibility in the Ukrainian army. With more than 330,000 men and women defending their county in the East of Ukraine since 2014, the number of LGBT soldiers among them was unknown as sexual orientation was something to be kept secret. Because the problem was not so widely addressed before the exhibition, the Ukrainian society had created a lot of false beliefs connected with the LGBT military representatives, like the popular myth that it was impossible to be openly gay and have a genuine desire to be enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Being a male soldier, stereotypically, meant being a heterosexual man. Other options were not considered.
Photo: Anton Shebetko
Anton Shebetko decided to break the silence by redefining the concept of a “hero,” which in our minds is usually associated with a figure of a heterosexual man who looks more masculine than others and is highly praised by the civilians for constantly protecting them. But the reality is different. The “heroes” in Anton’s works look exactly the way regular Ukrainian citizens do. They are not heterosexual and, unfortunately, are usually ignored by the public. This exhibition gave an important push for a lot of social discussions and initiatives, which resulted in the newly formed Ukrainian pro-LGBT rights organizations that aimed to promote inclusivity and combat homophobia. The most prominent example of such an organization is LGBT Military association that was formed in 2018. By making a public appearance during the 2018 Kyiv pride march, LGBT Military presented themselves as a union that strives to unite openly gay, bisexual, and closeted Ukrainian soldiers and veterans, as well as raise awareness that such people exist.
Photo: Anton Shebetko
The emblem of LGBT Military is very thoughtful and showcases the stereotypes that LGBT soldiers are fighting daily. The first element that the viewer notices is a unicorn, which on the one hand, is a mystical creature that does not exist in the reality, but on the other hand, is a heraldic symbol for prudence, innocence, and clarity. With this intentional symbol, the union delivers a clear message that if something is unseen (intentionally or unintentionally), that does not mean that it does not exist, because gay men and women are fighting alongside their heterosexual comrades on the battlefront and share the common need for freedom. Another two symbols on the emblem are two swords that are wrapped in barbed wire and torn thorns, symbolizing the readiness of LGBT soldiers to protect their homeland but also a common struggle for freedom for both Ukraine and the Ukrainian queer community.
Photo: LGBT military
With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the discussion on the LGBTQ soldier’s visibility gained a big relevance again. With some of the politicians speculating on the outdated “gays cannot be patriots” myth, many proactive LGBTQ community members joined the Ukrainian military formations to defend their country’s sovereignty. And, luckily, this time they were seen by the public.
During the first couple of weeks of the war, the LGBT Military Instagram page started to introduce the openly gay and bisexual Ukrainian soldiers who have been actively involved in protecting Ukraine from the occupants. As of June 2022, more than 20 individuals shared their experiences of serving in the Ukrainian army and spoke on the reality of being there as an LGBT man or woman. It is obvious that the stories vary: some of those soldiers are hiding their sexuality; some of them are speaking openly about it, and, admittedly, there is a long way for Ukrainian society to get rid of all the homophobic stereotypes. But the progress is also already visible. Some of you may even find it surprising that with such big issues as homophobia, those LGBT soldiers are also subverting another myth, which made the society believe that “there are no tolerant people in the Ukrainian army.” Fortunately, there are plenty of them!
Photo: Kindred
Such a story can be heard in the series of talks launched by the Ukrainian meditation app called “BetterMe.” In those talks, the platform offered the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ community members a stage to share their experiences on such topics as self-identification, dealing with bullies, conversions on gender, and thoughts on whether a gay man can defend his country in the army. Spoiler: yes, he can! In the sixth episode of the series, a gay mental health coach and activist Pasha, who is currently enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed forces as an anti-air gunner, shared his moving story of coming out to his fellow comrades and being positively surprised by his supportive reaction. Pasha also shares that 20% of the NATO personnel are the LGBTQ+ representative and hopes that the number of gay and bisexual soldiers in the Ukrainian army will be also known in the nearest future as there will be no longer a need to hide one’s sexual orientation from others. And we surely hope so too!