Ukraine held its first major LGBT Pride
march on Sunday.
According to the AP, about 1,000 people
marched surrounded by tight security in the capital Kiev.
Despite threats of violence, the event
was peaceful. The AP reported that “several thousand” police
officers were dispatched to protect marchers.
“I'm here to support human rights as
well as LGBT rights,” an unidentified woman told the AFP. “We
are showing that the LGBT community have the same rights as everyone
else.”
Event organizers thanked the police for
their protection.
“The police worked well and ensured
we had a safe event,” Anna Sharygina told the AFP. “As far as we
know, all of the march participants got home safely.”
Homophobia remains widespread in
Ukraine.
“I'm against gay propaganda that
these sick people have organized here in collusion with authorities,”
Serhly Hashchenko, a 56-year-old father of 12, told
the AP. Hashchenko protested the march with a sign that read
“Ukraine is no Sodom.” Police said 57 people were detained.
Other nations around the globe held
similar marches this weekend, including South Korea, Poland, Italy
and Croatia.