Some 7,000 people gathered in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in September 2021 for the annual March for Equality to support the rights of the country’s LGBTQ community. The government has increased support for LGBTQ rights since Western-backed leaders came to power in 2014. Ukraine repealed criminal liability for homosexuality in 1991. In 2015, Ukraine’s labor laws were amended to ban discrimination of LGBT people in the workplace.
On 3 November, Parliament approved the bill to amend Civil Code’s article on name change, making it possible for those over 16 to freely change their patronymic on the basis of selfdeclaration. With some limitations, those under 16 will also be able to do so. The law entered into force on 1 January 2021. In Ukraine, a person’s full name consists of first name, patronymic and surname. Previously, it was only possible to change first names and surnames, even though patronymic is also gendered. The change of patronymic was only possible as part of LGR, which requires a diagnosis and some medical interventions.
On 20 September, the first Equality March in the town of Zaporizhzhia took place. The 500 participants, including many LGBT+ organisations from across the country, were effectively protected by police. The police detained one counterdemonstrator, who threatened the participants with violence.
