Ukraine President Asks Government To Consider Same-Sex Marriages
Volodymyr Zelensky has given hope to same-sex civil partnerships being legal in the country. The move comes in response to a petition that called for equal marriage to be introduced in the war-ravaged nation.
As CNN reports, Zelensky explained online that it would be impossible to legalize same-sex marriages while the country remained at war because it would require a change to the constitution.
But, he said, the government had "worked out solutions regarding the legalization of registered civil partnership in Ukraine as part of the work on establishing and ensuring human rights and freedoms.”
The war has accelerated the call to introduce same-sex marriage in the country because of the number of LGBTQ+ people serving in the military and the greater legal protections that married civilians have.
“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),” Zelensky wrote on the website of the Ukrainian Presidency.
“The Constitution of Ukraine cannot be changed during a martial law or a state of emergency (Article 157 of the Constitution of Ukraine),” he explained.
However, Zelensky said he would work with his ministers to “ensure the rights and freedoms” of all Ukrainians.
“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,” Zelensky also said. “All people are free and equal in their dignity and rights.”
Zelensky thanked the more than 28,000 people who signed the petition for their “active civic position.” Ukrainian law states the President must review petitions that get more than 25,000 signatures.
In June, the UN identified LGBTQ+ people as a group specifically affected by the war and said LGBTQ+ refugees from the country “are often at heightened risk of exclusion, exploitation, violence and abuse, and encounter distinct protection risks.”
Homosexuality was legalized in Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union, but anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes and laws remain in place in the country. Workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation is banned, but no legal recognition of same-sex relationships exists, and same-sex couples are barred from adopting children and unprotected by hate crime laws, according to watchdog ILGA-Europe.
The organization ranks Ukraine 39th out of 49 European nations for LGBTQ+ rights.
A Pride parade typically takes place in Kyiv each year. But this June, organizers joined forces with the equivalent event in Poland, Ukraine's neighbor, celebrating in Warsaw amid the war at home.
Read related myGwork articles here:
Ukraine To Consider Legalising Same-Sex Marriage Amid War
Slovenia Is Ending Its Ban On Same-Sex Marriage And Adoption
More Americans Support Same-Sex Marriage Than Ever
Keep up to date with the latest myGnews
