Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The petition to demand a response from President Zelenskyy on same-sex marriage was months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Was this petition spear-headed by Russia to force Zelenskyy to respond to a controversial topic during the war, as part of Russia’s propaganda efforts? “On 3 June 2022, an online petition was launched on the official website of the President of Ukraine calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage… The petition quickly gained signatures, and by 13 July, the petition had gathered more than 28,000 signatures. Any petitions that gather more than 25,000 signatures automatically trigger the president’s consideration. On 2 August 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an official response to the petition. Zelenskyy said it would be impossible to legalize same-sex marriage without an amendment to the Constitution of Ukraine, and that “[t]he Constitution of Ukraine cannot be changed during martial law or a state of emergency”…” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Ukraine

And, by the way, abortion rates are far higher in Russia than in Ukraine and much much higher than the USA. In Russia the average annual abortion rate is 46 per 1,000 women aged 15-49 https://www.guttmacher.org/regions/europe/russian-federation In Ukraine, abortion rates are less than half that of Russia, 21 per 1,000. https://www.guttmacher.org/regions/europe/ukraine In the USA, the rate is 12 per 1,000. That’s about one quarter the Russian rate. https://www.guttmacher.org/regions/northern-america/united-states Why aren’t the apparently fake conservative Russophile Americans talking about this? If you go to these pages, you will see that abortion rates were incredibly high in the USSR.

An old video of Zelenskyy, dressed in leather and heels, is apparently making fun of both a music group, who sang backup for Madonna in Russia, and of a politician, who was accused of homosexuality. Zelenskyy was not a politically correct comedian. Unlike Putin, Zelenskyy is married to his friend and first wife. Putin beat his wife, cheated on her, and divorced her. Pro-Russian pundits take advantage of people’s ignorance of the language and culture. It’s important to know that since the elites of Russia and Ukraine were Germanic western Europeans, there is a lot of Latin, as well as German, in both languages. It takes a few hours to piece together the truth, and a few more hours to create a post. Due to time constraints we haven’t put up the post yet.

Map https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Same-sex_marriage_map_Europe_detailed.svg

“Recognition of same-sex unions in Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Ukraine
Ukraine does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions. The Constitution of Ukraine defines marriage as between “a woman and a man”…

Article 51 of the Constitution of Ukraine, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in 1996, states: “Marriage is based on the free consent of a woman and a man. Each of the spouses has equal rights and duties in the marriage and family.”[1] In June 2018, the Ministry of Justice said that “there is no legal grounds” for same-sex marriage in Ukraine.[2] The wording of Article 51 is interpreted as banning same-sex marriage; however, Olha Sovgirya, a justice of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, believes that the Constitution does not prohibit same-sex marriage, arguing that the “emphasis in Article 51 is on the freedom of marrying a member of the opposite sex, and not on the fact that the parties should be of different sexes.”[3]

On 23 November 2015, the Government of Ukraine approved an action plan to implement a “National Strategy on Human Rights” in the period up to 2020, which include the promise of drafting a bill creating civil partnerships for opposite-sex and same-sex couples by 2017.[4][5][6] However, in early 2018, the Ministry of Justice, led by Pavlo Petrenko, stated that “the development and submission to the government of a draft law on the legalization of a registered civil partnership in Ukraine cannot be implemented” due to “numerous appeals from the regional councils, the Council of Churches and other religious organizations”.[7]

2022 petition calling for equal rights

On 3 June 2022, an online petition was launched on the official website of the President of Ukraine calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage. Citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the text of the petition stated: “At this time, every day may be the last. Let people of the same sex have the opportunity to start a family and have an official document confirming this. They need the same rights as traditional couples.” Oksana Solonska, the media communications manager of Kyiv Pride, said, “It is important that LGBTQ people have the right to see their partner and take their body from the morgue, and seek compensation if needed. All married couples have these rights. We really hope that same-sex marriage will be legalised, so people will be able to take care of each other.” The petition quickly gained signatures, and by 13 July, the petition had gathered more than 28,000 signatures. Any petitions that gather more than 25,000 signatures automatically trigger the president’s consideration.[8]

On 2 August 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an official response to the petition. Zelenskyy said it would be impossible to legalize same-sex marriage without an amendment to the Constitution of Ukraine, and that “[t]he Constitution of Ukraine cannot be changed during martial law or a state of emergency”. “The Family Code of Ukraine defines that the family is the primary and main unit of society. A family consists of persons who live together, are connected by common life, have mutual rights and obligations. According to the Constitution of Ukraine, marriage is based on the free consent of a woman and a man (Article 51).”,[9] Zelenskyy wrote. However, Zelenskyy said that his government would work on a bill to legalize civil partnerships in Ukraine. “In the modern world, the level of democratic society is measured, among other things, through state policy aimed at ensuring equal rights for all citizens. Every citizen is an inseparable part of civil society, he is entitled to all the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. All people are free and equal in their dignity and rights.”[10] He called on Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to address the issue.[11] Shmyhal instructed the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Social Policy to consider the issues raised in the petition.

Same-sex couples do not have a right to inheritance, hospital visitations or to make medical decisions for an ill partner. “If [my] (partner) dies … [I] won’t be allowed even to bury [him] … they might not let [me] into the hospital”, said a cadet specialising in aerial reconnaissance who had joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion. LGBT groups described Zelenskyy’s statement as “historic”, and called on a bill to be passed as soon as possible: “People need this now”, said Olena Shevchenko.[12] The introduction of civil partnerships (Ukrainian: цивільне партнерство, pronounced [t͡seˈʋ⁽ʲ⁾ilʲne pɐrtˈnɛrstwɔ])[a] would allow same-sex couples to enjoy some of the rights and benefits of marriage, including property rights, maintenance, inheritance, spousal privilege, etc. MP Inna Sovsun said she was considering introducing her own civil union bill to Parliament should the government fail to do so.[3] The Russo-Ukrainian War has spurred efforts within the military to legalize same-sex marriage, because the partners of gay soldiers are not afforded the same rights and privileges as opposite-sex partners, “although they are fighting just as bravely as their fellow straight combat troops”. A soldier in Donbas said, “When we defend the country, we dismantle Russian propaganda about all gay people being communists, Marxists, and anti-Ukraine. We have destroyed these homophobic myths by fighting the Russians and risking our lives for Ukraine.”[14]

Public opinion

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has bolstered support for the recognition of same-sex unions in Ukraine. Surveys by Nash Svit for the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed that opposition to same-sex civil unions had decreased from 69% in 2016 to 42% in 2022. Jul Sirous, a coordinator for volunteers and teamwork at Kyiv Pride, said, “[People are] now looking at some things in a completely different light because compared to the fact that a person might be gone tomorrow, the fact that they are gay or a lesbian – we’re not paying attention to that.”[12][15]

A 2022 poll conducted by the Center for Social Expertise of the Institute of Sociology at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine showed that 27% of Ukrainians supported same-sex marriage and 26% supported it with “some exceptions”, meaning that 53% supported the recognition of same-sex unions in some form. This represented a large increase from 2016 when 33% of the population supported recognising same-sex unions.[16]

References

1. ^ “Constitution of Ukraine” (PDF). http://www.refword.org. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
2. ^ “Justice ministry: No legal grounds in Ukraine currently for same-sex marriage | KyivPost – Ukraine’s Global Voice”. KyivPost. 18 June 2018.
3. ^ Jump up to: 
a b “Одностатевим союзам – так? Що таке цивільне партнерство й коли його чекати в Україні”. The Village (in Ukrainian). 15 August 2022.
4. ^ “Ukrainian government plans to submit a bill on same-sex ‘civil partnership’ legalization”. uatoday.tv. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
5. ^ “The Cabinet plans to legalize same-sex unions and HIV-positive can be allowed to adopt children”. reporter-ua.ru. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
6. ^ “Текст документа: “Про затвердження плану дій з реалізації Національної стратегії у сфері прав людини на період до 2020 року” № 1393-р — редакція від 23.11.2015″. Ukrainian Government Portal (in Ukrainian). 23 November 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
7. ^ Same-sex marriage in Ukraine: accept or deny?, UNIAN (14 February 2018)
8. ^ “Ukraine to consider legalising same-sex marriage amid war”. BBC News. 12 July 2022.
9. ^ Pietsch, Bryan (2022-08-04). “Zelensky floats civil unions amid gay marriage push in Ukraine”. Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
10. ^ “Zelensky opens door to same-sex civil partnerships in Ukraine”. CNN. 3 August 2022.
11. ^ “Ukraine president asks gov’t to study legalising same-sex marriages”. Reuters. 2 August 2022.
12. ^ Jump up to: 
a b Vikhrov, Natalie (25 August 2022). “Ukraine war fuels public support for same-sex marriage”. Thomas Reuters Foundation News.
13. ^ “Что на самом деле ответил Зеленский про однополые браки? Читаем между строк”. Life.nv.ua (in Russian). 4 August 2022.
14. ^ Javaid, Maham; Bilefsky, Dan (August 4, 2022). “War Spurs Ukrainian Efforts to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage: The role of gay soldiers, the lack of legal rights for their partners, and the threat of Russia imposing anti-L.G.B.T. policies have turned the war into a catalyst for change in Ukraine”. New York Times. p. A4. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
15. ^ “Більше половини українців ставиться до ЛГБТ-людей позитивно або байдуже – опитування”. The Village (in Ukrainian). 3 June 2022.
16. ^ “Право гомосексуальних пар на реєстрацію шлюбу підтримує удвічі більше українців, ніж 10 років тому”. The Village (in Ukrainian). 16 July 2022.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License

Ukrainian Constitution link from Reference link 1: https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/44a280124.pdf

There was a recent LOL moment when homosexual Jim Hoft (founder of the Gateway Pundit) reported that Putin, who he apparently supports, passed a law criminalizing “promotion of ‘non-traditional sexual relations’ accused the west of ‘moving towards open satanism’, citing the promotion of gay and transgender rights…” See: “Russia passes law banning ‘LGBT propaganda’ among adults: Bill criminalises promotion of ‘non-traditional sexual relations’ as Moscow pushes conservative values” https://web.archive.org/web/20221124233435/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/24/russia-passes-law-banning-lgbt-propaganda-adults https://web.archive.org/web/20221124233435/https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/11/russian-lawmakers-passes-law-banning-lgbtq-propaganda-among-ages
Hoft presents himself as “pro-life” but makes no mention of the half a million babies aborted each year by Russia.

Jim Hoft (b. 1962), a German-American imported and married a much younger man from the Philippines. Hoft’s husband was 29 in 2021, so was apparently born ca 1992: https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2022/03/10/icymi-conservative-gateway-pundit-founder-editor-apparent-owner-is-a-gay-man-married-to-a-man-approximately-half-his-age-same-sex-marriage-is-now-conservative/ Not only did he marry a man approximately 30 years younger than he is, he appointed fellow homosexual and German-American, Lucian Baxter Wintrich IV (b 1988), to be The Gateway Pundit’s first White House correspondant. https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2022/12/29/conservative-gateway-pundit-founder-is-a-man-married-to-a-much-younger-man-appointed-a-young-homosexual-as-first-white-house-correspondent/