Brochure
The Situation of LGBTQ* People in the States of the Former USSR, 2021
We are very pleased to present this new edition of our publication on LGBTQ* life in the countries of the former USSR. The first version of this brochure was published nine years ago, in 2012. At that time, we saw a great need for such information. After all, there is not much that an international reader can find about the situation of queer communities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and other post-Soviet regions. One can find some information about queer life in the western countries of the former Soviet empire, such as Ukraine, Belarus, or Lithuania. But there is hardly anything written about the Caucasus and Central Asia. One might be tempted to think that there is no queer life or activism there at all. And that would be terribly wrong. As this publication shows, LGBTQ* people live and love in all these countries and fight for their rights.
We do not want to speak on behalf of the queer communities in all 15 countries, but rather give them space to speak for themselves. All articles in this edition, except for one, were written by representatives of the queer communities in their respective countries. We believe this is the right approach, and we are very happy that we have been able to gather authentic voices.
A lot has changed over the past nine years. On the one hand, communities are gaining strength, and their demands are becoming harder to ignore. New influential queer media outlets have emerged, such as in Belarus and Russia, creating new LGBTQ* perspectives, shaping opinions, and strengthening communities. Queer influencers are making themselves heard and gaining recognition. Our agenda is appearing in public spaces and on the streets. For example, in Ukraine, Equality Marches in major cities are becoming a tradition.
At the same time, however, resistance from conservative forces is also growing. Political parties continue to instrumentalize homophobia to achieve their political goals. A new legislative trend has quickly spread: In recent years, several countries, including Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, have amended their constitutions to define marriage as a union “between a man and a woman,” effectively banning marriage equality. Interestingly, some countries, such as Armenia, are trying to sit on two chairs at once, accepting same-sex marriages if the couple was married abroad.
Another popular weapon of anti-LGBTQ* propaganda in the countries of the former USSR is the portrayal of queerness as something foreign, non-native, imported from the West to destabilize local societies. This discursive tactic is used by conservative groups in Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, and Russia. Turkmenistan takes this to the extreme, claiming that there are no queer people in the country at all.
One goal of this brochure is to counter these cruel claims. Queer people live and fight everywhere in the former Soviet Union. We are part of our societies, and we are not going anywhere.
The brochure is available in libraries.
ISBN 978-3-00-068446-3