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During my last stay for the Odessa Pride in , the atmosphere had been totally different; very tense and somehow unpredictable. But this time I can feel the relaxed and Mediterranean way of life again that makes this beautifully ailing town so special. Everything is going according to plan. The whole Creative Protest Tour team is accommodated in a nice hotel near the city centre.
I am leading the Creative Protest seminars. The efforts to improve the human rights situation is ongoing in spite of the war and the disastrous economic situation in the country. As long as there is no protection for minorities in this country, nobody can really feel secure. The next day we arrive at the Queer Home where the workshop is going to take place. I am delighted to see that everything is well prepared and even more than the expected nine participants have come.
The workshop is going really well. The people are collaborative and listening attentively. From At the close of the seminar, they are tired but also excited. The next day we want to send messages to Kiev. We want to show that the Kiev Pride is an issue for the whole country. And although the workshop was long and tiring, there is no question that everybody is going to be there for the flashmobs the next day. Odessa is obviously on our side.
The new day greets us with a blue sky and the heat along with the humidity that is so typical for this time of year.
No need to worry about the expensive technical equipment anymore. They are not fighting for equal rights anymore they are demanding basic existential needs. The country is at war. For this fundamental demand, we have found a simple and pretty symbol. An umbrella in the colours of a rainbow.
Security and diversity in one. This umbrella we will place in the hands of many different Odessian statues in historical locations. But we are well prepared. We know how to react in case we meet people with a high propensity of violence: Calm, polite and de-escalating. We want to send a message of support to Kiev and we want to have fun. Viktor is our tour guide. Almost non-stop he happily tells us historical facts about Odessa and her historical sights.
Some of them true, some of them totally made up. The main task is to keep on talking. They are slightly confused but remain friendly. Good for us. Giora has prepared this tour for us.
So we keep on walking from one tourist attraction to the next in the heart of Odessa and place our colourful umbrella in the hands of statues who seem to have been waiting to get a grip on it. The statue of the Duke of Richelieue which stands on top of the Potemkin stairs and overlooks the harbour of Odessa. At that time there was Milicia everywhere but this year everything is peaceful and calm. Nobody minds us attaching the umbrella to the Duke and posing with him.
Afterwards we walk down the stairs a bit to take a photo of our group with the sea and the harbour in the background. And just as if it had all been arranged, dark clouds gather within minutes and unload a refreshing shower of rain over our heads. But luckily, we have an umbrella. It was a kind of test.
The goal was to have fun together and send a sign of support to the Kiev Pride. We want a different reality! But it is important to go to the limits of the acceptable presence.
Otherwise, we will become invisible. But nobody seems to know what exactly is happening there. This potential you are developing through adoption of just laws that make the country better for life. Many religious leaders are stuck in the Middle Ages that prevents making the country better.
The EU is based on principles of good governance and equitable social order. I hope that in five years Ukraine will reach the level of the UK to protect and guarantee human rights.
Over 80 percent of the population of Ukraine see in gay men the dangerous perverts, who seduce children, destroy family values, reduce birth rate, break public. Our agency was created to help the Ukrainian gay boys to find freedom and to find happiness. But our foreign clients are always satisfied by our young grooms:.
At the same time, we as the office of the Ombudsman record frequent instances of hate speech and physical aggression towards LGBT people. Often the letter of the law remains unchanged, but the spirit of the law changes. We cannot protect human rights selectively; rights and freedoms must be guaranteed for everyone. But the improvements are not possible without discussion around the issues.
This is a very timely step.
Our friends from England, the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Germany and other EU countries convincingly argue by the example of their countries: the sooner state and society ensure the rights and safety for LGBT people, the higher level of economic development will be, because the personal freedoms constitute a part of the economic potential, while hatred and a high degree of aggression in society conserve crisis.
However, this is only a declaration of intentions. The authorities of our country were presented at the conference by officials from the Ministries of Justice, Culture, Interior, Office of the Ombudsman, and members of the Ukrainian Parliament. The National Police of Ukraine reliably ensured observance of public order at the place of the conference. Lesbians from Ukraine talk about their lives. The stories are true. However, professional actors are interpreting them. Zhiva Ja is inspiring and charming, open and sometimes sad. Translators will be available.
We will play music and show a photo exhibition during the evening. Any gender welcome! The guests of the Days presented social theater, LGBT-films, poems, stories, handmade rainbow art and many other interesting things showing their attitude towards the situation with LGBT-rights and life in the country. Two public events were held during the Equality and Pride Days.
The first one was totally spoiled by the right wing aggressors. Due to the risk of violence, LGBT-activists failed to show their respect to the heroes of the Ukrainian Revolution of Honor and lay flowers to the monument for those who died in the Revolution. It is a shame that still LGBT-people are not welcoming to be patriots in their own country. The second event, the Bicycle Run for solidarity, was approved by the local authorities a month before the date of event.
They had to allow the activists to cycle across the city. But still, the danger of violence from the aggressive right power existed. That is why not so many people came for the Run as were expected before. After the Run, the aggressors from the Right Sector blocked the participants of the Days in the hotel where workshops took place.
Only after negotiations with the local representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs aggressors left the hotel. Luckily, they were not so willing to be violent as their colleagues in Kyiv or Odessa that attacked Pride events in these cities. Ivan Kisil lives beyond the Dnepr river, far away from the cosy streets and green parks of the Ukrainian capital.
Kiev has two faces; Ivan knows the ugly side better than the bright one. In the suburbs of Kiev, Iwan works. Every Sunday, he takes his camera and goes for a walk looking for new shots in his surrounding. As he lives with his mother, it is an occasion to go out.