The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy will study the impact of LGBT+ service members on attitudes toward equality
The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, in collaboration with Sweden’s Södertörn University, will conduct an international study on the civil rights of LGBT+ service members in Ukraine. The project will be carried out with the support of the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies.
The researchers aim to determine whether the experience of LGBT+ individuals serving in the military influences public and government attitudes toward their demands for equal rights. They will also examine whether the very fact of military service can serve as an argument in the public discourse on equality.
To this end, the team will analyze materials from print and digital media to track how the rights of LGBT+ service members are discussed in the public sphere and what arguments are used by their supporters and opponents. The researchers will also conduct interviews with LGBT+ activists and representatives of government agencies.
Another phase will involve an experimental survey, through which researchers will assess how various arguments about military experience influence public opinion during a full-scale war.
The project leader at NaUKMA, sociologist Tamara Martsenyuk, noted that the visibility of the Ukrainian LGBT+ movement began to grow significantly after the Revolution of Dignity and against the backdrop of Ukraine’s European integration course.
“After the Revolution of Dignity in 2013–2014, Ukraine’s LGBT+ movement became more visible, particularly in the fight for its rights within the context of our country’s European integration aspirations. In 2018, the LGBT+ military movement was founded, which has become an important force in the fight for rights,” she noted.
According to Martsenyuk, the study aims to reveal not only the level of visibility of LGBT+ service members but also how society reacts to their participation in the war and their demands for civil rights.
“Our international project aims to examine the visibility of LGBT+ service members, their struggle for civil rights, and Ukrainian society’s attitudes toward these issues,” the sociologist added.
NAUKMA expects that the project’s results will allow for a broader assessment of the mechanisms for fighting for equal rights not only in Ukraine but also in other countries of Eastern Europe and beyond.
Source: Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Instagram).
As a reminder, Martsinkiv stated that LGBT people and child-free individuals are harming Ukraine due to the demographic crisis.
Earlier, Justice Minister nominee Marta Horog stated that Hungary would have to revise the law restricting access to LGBT+ content. According to her, changes may be necessary following a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which found that the current regulations contradict EU law.
In Kyiv, during the LGBT Film Festival, a man spilled an unknown substance in a movie theater.
