Nico
The Day of Remembrance of Homosexuals was established in 2006 by a group of Ukrainian organizations to honour victims of systemic repression and discrimination during the Soviet period in Ukraine and to commemorate the anniversary of the decriminalization of consensual homosexual relations between men. It is commemorated on 12 December each year.
Origins
On 24 August 1991, the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council) adopted the Act of Declaration of Independence, formally separating Ukraine from the Soviet Union, a decision that was confirmed by referendum on 1 December. On 12 December, one of the first major human-rights reforms was the decriminalization of “voluntary homosexual relations” between adult men. The amendment took effect on 20 January 1992 and marked a significant milestone in the country’s progress toward LGBTQIA+ rights. (Sexual relations between women were never explicitly criminalized, though lesbians were persecuted, often through forced psychiatric institutionalization and abusive practices.)
Sodomy laws technically remained on the books until 1 January 2003, though after the 1992 amendment the definition was limited to nonconsensual acts between men. In 2015, Ukraine passed workplace anti-discrimination protections, but only after politicians assured the public that the law would not pave the way for marriage equality.
Ongoing challenges
In 2016, a study by the human rights group Nash Svit and the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology revealed predominantly negative attitudes toward LGBT people: 60.4% of respondents held an unfavourable view, and only a third believed LGBT people deserved equal rights. However, by 2022 public opinion had shifted dramatically, as a new study showed. Negative perceptions fell to 38.2%, while positive views tripled to 12.8%. Support for equal rights grew from 33.4% in 2016 to 63.7% in 2022. Yet, when respondents were asked about specific rights, the picture was far less encouraging. Many more were comfortable with LGBT people serving in the military, but far less supportive of marriage equality or adoption rights for same-sex couples.
Takeaways
Ukraine was the first post-Soviet state to decriminalize homosexuality after gaining independence, but LGBTQIA+ rights have advanced unevenly. Same-sex couples still lack the same legal rights and protections available to heterosexual families, and social acceptance remains incomplete.
As Gays UA notes, December 12 serves as a day not only to remember past persecution, but also to continue the ongoing struggle for equality, safety, and human rights.
Further reading
(Note: Many article titles have been translated into English from their original languages using Google Translate.)
- “On Amendments and Supplements to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes of the Ukrainian SSR,” Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
- “Day of Remembrance of Homosexuals in Ukraine (victims of the totalitarian Soviet regime),” Gays UA
- “Ukraine passes law outlawing discrimination against gay workers,” Euro News
- “Ukranians have dramatically improved their attitude towards LGBT people,” Nash Svit Center
- “How Putin Inadvertently Boosted Support for LGBT Rights in Ukraine,” Time Magazine
- “‘It’s Even Worse Than Before’: How The ‘Revolution Of Dignity’ Failed LGBT Ukrainians,” Radio Free Europe
- “LGBTQ soldiers in Ukraine hope their service is changing attitudes as they rally for legal rights,” AP News
- “LGBT+ people of Ukraine during the full-scale war,” Insight Ukraine
- “LGBT troops on Ukraine’s front line fight homophobia at home,” BBC News
- “LGBTQ+ festival KharkivPride 2025 begins in Kharkiv, police mitigate conflict with right-wing, Christian groups,” Gwara Media
