Photographers capture assault on gay activist in Ukraine.
Svyatoslav Sheremet had announced the cancellation of the Kyiv gay pride parade when he was attacked by three hooded men.
World Opera - Svyatoslav Sheremet, leader of an LGBT organization in Ukraine, was attacked this Sunday (May 20) in Kiev, the country's capital, after leaving a press conference to announce the cancellation of the city's gay pride parade.
Sheremet was photographed covered in blood and being kicked and punched by three men with their faces covered. The attackers fled when they realized photographers were documenting the attack. There is still no information about the identity of the three attackers.
Ukraine was the first country in the former USSR recognized by the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality, on December 12, 1991. However, the country's constitution, approved in the same year, does not explicitly mention sexual orientation or gender identity. It contains several clauses that cite basic human rights, including equal rights "regardless of political, religious and other beliefs" or "other characteristics," but the Ukrainian judiciary has prevented these clauses from being used in the fight for equal rights for the LGBT community.
In a survey conducted in December 2007 by Angus Reid Global Monitor, 81,3% of Ukrainians interviewed said that homosexual relationships are "never acceptable".
In another survey by the same institute, among a long list of possible social reforms in the country, gay marriage received only 4,7% of the votes, the lowest of all the topics in question.
No political party in the country, not even the smaller ones or those considered more left-leaning, formally defends LGBT rights. In Ukraine, there are no anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation and, more recently, anti-gay groups have criticized and classified LGBT-themed films as pornographic.
One of Ukraine's main anti-gay groups, "Love Against Homosexuality," has the public support of celebrities and members of parliament who believe that LGBT people are "sexual perverts."
In recent months, a proposed anti-gay propaganda law has resurfaced in Ukraine. The bill aims to prohibit public discussion of homosexuality, claiming that "the law intends to protect minors and prevent the spread of HIV."
Eastern Europe has recently been making international headlines due to efforts to ban LGBT visibility and the promotion of gay culture. The parliaments of Moldova, Lithuania, and Hungary, and the Moscow city government are considering proposals that would prohibit the dissemination of any LGBT material or any act deemed to promote this group.
In March, Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, passed a similar law. Four other regions in Russia already have similar laws, as do three cities in Moldova.