Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian MP, has introduced a draft bill calling for same-sex couples to have legal recognition in the country.
She announced that she had submitted the draft on 7 March and, in a series of tweets, referenced statistics which suggest that 56 per cent of people in Ukraine “support same-sex partnerships”.
Sovsun added that she hopes the president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and his party will take the lead on making this legal recognition a reality.
“Every day, Ukrainian LGBT military personnel are exposed to danger while protecting us,” she continued. “But the state does not recognise their relationship with their loved ones. This means that their partners do not have the same advantages as partners in a heterosexual marriage.
“The state must provide legal protection to those who protect it.”
🏳️🌈🇺🇦Сьогодні я подала на реєстрацію законопроєкт про одностатеві та різностатеві партнерства.
Це #НаЧасі.
Я неодноразово зустрічалася з ЛГБТ військовими. Я чула про їх проблеми й прохання виправити велику несправедливість – відсутність прав, які є в різностатевих пар. pic.twitter.com/ITmv94ihI2— Inna Sovsun (@InnaSovsun) March 7, 2023
The politician also referred to a recent petition calling for the legalisation of same-sex marriage, which was signed more than 28,000 times and received a formal response from Zelensky.
“I asked Prime Minister (Denys) Shmyhal to address the issue raised in the electronic petition and to inform me of relevant decisions,” he stated in an official decree on 2 August.
He also noted that marriage is defined in Ukraine’s constitution as being between a man and a woman – something which would not be changed during the ongoing war with Russia.
Zelensky explained that this is due to Article 157 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which says: “In conditions of war or a state of emergency, the Constitution of Ukraine cannot be changed.”
Although homosexuality is not illegal in Ukraine, same-sex marriages and civil partnerships are not legally recognised.
The country has an anti-discrimination law that was introduced in 2015, though many LGBTQ+ people still suffer intolerance in Ukraine.
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