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Canadians are being asked to host LGBTQ+ Ukrainian refugees

A coalition of activists is launching a new initiative to recruit and support Canadian hosts for LGBTQ+ Ukrainian refugees.

Since fleeing their homes, many queer Ukrainian refugees have not felt safe owing to endemic anti-LGBTQ+ prejudices in Eastern Europe. While Ukraine itself has pro-LGBTQ+ laws, its neighbors maintain legal systems that enable, if not actively support, homophobic and transphobic discrimination.

Due to these dangers, over 100 LGBTQ+ refugees have asked KyivPride, one of Ukraine’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, for help with relocation to Canada.

With a dire need for hosts, KyivPride launched The Friendly Homes Project (TFHP) earlier this month. The project seeks out LGBTQ+ Canadians, or pro-LGBTQ+ allies, who can provide refugees with a minimum of four weeks of temporary accommodations. Hosts are also asked to help refugees integrate into Canadian society – i.e., helping secure employment and fostering social connections.

The project is being organized in partnership with KyivPride Canada, a sister organization launched in 2014 to foster greater Ukrainian-Canadian unity, as well as the We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund, which was created and is managed by Ukrainian-Canadian activist Andrew Kushnir.

KyivPride executive director Lenny Emson says that hosts interested in supporting LGBTQ+ refugees should work with queer Ukrainian organizations rather than establishing arrangements independently.

KyivPride can help refugees travel to the nearest embassy to secure a visa, which sometimes involves travel to another country. Canadian hosts will also receive an orientation session and counseling support. Finally, the organization’s community expertise ensures that refugees who are most vulnerable, such as those who fled from Russian-occupied territories and have little chance of returning home soon, are prioritized.

Emson says that refugees can feel isolated in new countries, which “compounds the traumas of this war,” but the volunteer network that KyivPride is putting together mitigates this.

Hosts participating in TFHP are not expected to provide financial aid. Every adult Ukrainian refugee arriving in Canada receives a one-time payment of $3,000, plus $1,500 for every minor accompanying them, through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program.

The We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund has raised $117,000 since last April, but lacks the capacity to meaningfully finance refugee integration in addition to its existing commitments.

However, the fund, which focuses on helping on-the-ground NGOs, recently made sizeable donations for the purchase of generators and power banks, which, amid Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, are essential for keeping Ukrainian LGBTQ+ organizations operational this winter.

According to Kushnir, over 100 hosts representing 40 communities across Canada have signed up for TFHP so far using the organization’s online signup sheet.

While there is an evident need for LGBTQ+-specific refugee support, the exact conditions faced by queer Ukrainian refugees in Eastern Europe are complicated and sensitive.

Poland, which currently hosts 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees, is governed by a socially conservative government whose ministers have often verbally attacked sexual and gender minorities. Over the past several years, over 100 Polish towns and regions have passed resolutions declaring themselves free of “LGBTQ ideology.”

While Warsaw is a cultural bubble where LGBTQ+ people are relatively accepted, the capital can only absorb a fraction of the total refugee population.

Moldova and Romania, which collectively shelter 200,000 refugees, are also hostile to LGBTQ+ people. A 2022 poll found that 64 percent of Moldovans would “exclude” LGBTQ+ people from the country. Meanwhile, last year, the Romanian government passed bills banning “gay propaganda” in schools and public spaces.

In 2022, ILGA-Europe ranked Poland and Romania last and second-last, respectively, for LGBTQ+ rights among EU member states.

The situation is better in Ukraine, but there are caveats.

Since Ukraine’s EuroMaidan revolution, the national government has eagerly pushed for EU membership, leading to the consistent passage of pro-LGBTQ+ laws. For example, last month, the government passed anti-discrimination laws criminalizing anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly affirmed his support for the LGBTQ+ community and has committed to exploring the legalization of marriage equality after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is repelled.

For youth and white-collar Ukrainians living in major cities, being homosexual or bisexual is generally not a problem. However, many LGBTQ+ Ukrainians remain discreet about their identities, and tolerance doesn’t extend to smaller cities and towns, where it is unsafe to be openly queer. The trans community also remains highly stigmatized everywhere.

LGBTQ+ activists remain vulnerable to violent harassment from far-right fringe groups and must keep the locations of their offices a secret. When KyivPride opened a refugee shelterlast spring, journalists were not permitted to produce films or photographs that showed any outdoor elements that could betray the shelter’s location.

In previous interviews, KyivPride has repeatedly stressed that these far-right groups are a small minority that receives financing from Russia and does not represent Ukrainian society. The organization’s comments are consistent with voting data which shows that Ukraine’s far-right parties have never secured more than 5% of the national vote since 2014.

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Police Identify 6th Victim in SF Gay Serial Killings, Raise Reward to $250k

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Police in San Francisco yesterday announced a sixth suspected victim of a notorious serial killer who sketched his gay male victims before killing them during the 1970s. Police also increased the reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of the serial killer dubbed the Doodler from $200,000 to $250,000.

“As a result of a new investigation, it is believed that Warren Andrews may be the sixth victim of the ‘Doodler,’” the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement released yesterday. “On April 27, 1975, Andrews was a victim of an assault at Land’s End. Andrews was found unconscious and never regained consciousness dying several weeks later. All six (6) victims are believed to be Gay Caucasian males.”

The Doodler is suspected of fatally stabbing at least six gay men between January 1974 and June 1975, although he may be responsible for up to 16 additional murders. The victims’ brutally stabbed bodies were found near bodies of water on Ocean Beach, in Golden Gate Park, and at Land’s End.

Police reportedly have a suspect who was interviewed at the time of the killings and may still be alive today, but need further help from witnesses to make an arrest. They acknowledge that surviving victims’ fear of being outed stopped them from testifying in the case at the time. Two of the survivors lived on the same floor of the Fox Plaza Apartments. 

The Doodler is described as a good-looking Black male, six feet tall, and aged 19 to 25 at the time of the killings. He met his victims in bars and diners in the Castro, Polk Gulch, and Tenderloin neighborhoods.

“One of the survivors from the Fox Plaza attacks had met the suspect after the bars closed in July of 1975 at the Truck Stop diner near Market/Church St.,” SFPD wrote. “The suspect was drawing animal figures on a napkin. The suspect commented to the victim that he was attending art school and was studying to be a cartoonist.”

Using information from this survivor, police were able to create a sketch of the Doodler.

“Soon after the initial suspect sketch was released, an anonymous phone call was made by a female to SFPD,” the SFPD continued. “This anonymous caller provided police with a name and a vehicle plate of a suspect. This female called twice within 10 days. We are looking to identify this caller. After this caller contacted SFPD it is believed that at least two different people also contacted SFPD providing the same suspect name. We would also want to speak with these individuals.”

The Doodler left at least three survivors, and two were described by police as a diplomat and as a well-known entertainer.

The five other suspected victims include Gerald Cavanaugh, 49, whose body was found on January 27, 1974, at Ocean Beach; Joseph Stevens, 27, whose body was found on June 25, 1974, in Golden Gate Park’ Klaus Christmann, 31, whose body was found on July 7, 1974, at Ocean Beach; Frederick Capin, 32, whose body was found on May 12, 1975, at Ocean Beach; and Harald Gullberg, 66, whose body was found on June 4, 1975, at Lincoln Park.

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Law student’s family says he went missing after visiting NYC gay bar

A New York City law student has been missing for nearly two weeks, and his brother said his last known location was a gay bar in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. 

Jordan Taylor, 29, a first-year law student at the City University of New York, was reported missing by his family on Jan. 8, according to his brother and the New York City Police Department. 

According to the NYPD, Taylor was last seen in the borough of Queens, where he resides, on the afternoon of Jan. 6. But his brother, Alton Taylor, told NBC New York that Jordan’s last known location, according to his phone’s location data, was The Q in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, shortly before his phone and wallet were found in two different Manhattan locations.

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Alton said the details surrounding Jordan’s disappearance — and the fact that none of his close friends have seen or heard from him in nearly two weeks — are a cause of concern. 

“I don’t want to rule out a heinous foul play. Like, I don’t want to think about it, but I can’t rule it out either,” he told NBC New York. 

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Russia ordered to recognise same-sex relationships by Europe’s top court

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The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to recognise same-sex partnerships, but it’s unlikely Russia will implement protections for queer couples. 

The ruling came in response to a years-long fight by three queer couples for legal recognition and protection after they were denied the ability to marry by Russia. 

The applicants were originally turned away by registrars on the basis that the Russian Family Code defines marriage as a “voluntary marital union between a man and a woman”. 

The court ruled Wednesday (18 January) that Russia had an obligation to make equivalent legal protections to marriage available to same-sex couples under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. 

In the absence of marriage equality, the court found that Council of Europe member states have an obligation to put in place a “specific legal framework” for the recognition and protection of same-sex couples.

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Russia ceased to be a party to the European Convention on Human Rights in September 2022 as a result of its expulsion from the Council of Europe in response to its invasion of Ukraine. 

However, the court retains jurisdiction over applications lodged before that date. 

Russia argued that extending marriage to same-sex couples would be “contrary to the Russian Constitution and public policy”, and that introducing any other form of legal union would be “unreasonable from a legal perspective”.

Three people wear rainbow LGBTQ+ Pride flags draped along their shoulders during a protest in Russia
LGBTQ+ advocates worldwide have condemned Russia’s continued attack on the queer community. (Getty)

The government submitted to the court that “family in its traditional form was a fundamental value of Russian society” as it’s “intrinsically linked to the aim of preserving and developing the human race”. 

However, the court ruled that these arguments weren’t enough to deny the couples their rights.

It also concluded that Russia “overstepped its margin of appreciation and has completely failed to comply with its positive obligation to secure the applicants’ right to respect for their private life and family life”. 

Pierre Karleskind, vice president of the LGBTI Intergroup, said “justice is done across the Council of Europe area” because of the ruling. 

“This court judgement crystalises what the LGBTIQ community has revindicated for years: that their relationships deserve as much right to legal recognition (and protection) as any other couple,” Karleskind said. 

“With this in mind, we will keep advocating for the remaining EU member states to make steadfast progress at national level to respect and implement the court’s interpretation.”

Currently, there are six EU member states – Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – that do not provide any legal framework for recognition of same-sex relationships.

Two people stand side-by-side as they hold up a rainbow LGBTQ+ Pride flag together during a protest in Russia
Advocates said the judgment ‘crystalised’ what the LGBTQ+ community has been saying for years – that queer relationships deserve as much right to legal recognition and protection as other couples. (Getty)

Maria Walsh, who is also a vice president of the LGBTI Intergroup, called the ruling a “glorious day for our community and their restless energy”. 

“This judgement can only be deemed a categorical stance on where our European continent stands,” Walsh said. 

“It is high time rainbow families get the protection and recognition they deserve, and we will keep pressing to ensure that this judgement will one day be translated into a mandatory recognition of relationships in cross-border cases.”

However, it’s almost certain that Russia will not heed the court’s ruling given it has ignored previous orders on LGBTQ+ issues in the past. 

In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia’s ‘LGBTQ+ propaganda’ law is discriminatory, promotes homophobia and violates the European Convention on Human Rights. 

The law make it a crime to distribute information about LGBTQ+ identities and people to minors.

Russia ignored the ruling and kept the law in place, even expanding its age limit in December 2022. 

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Windows Shot Out at Orlando Gay Bar

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After the windows of an Orlando, Fla., LGBTQ+ bar were shot out Wednesday evening, police are characterizing the crime as a bias-motivated attack on the LGBTQ+ business.

District Dive, located in Orlando’s Milk District, posted security video to its Facebook page of a man shooting out windows in the Southern Nights complex. The complex is home to several queer establishments, including District Dive, Southern Craft, and the Southern Nights nightclub. The post on District Dive’s page said the complex “was a target of a suspected hate crime.”

“Please stay safe Orlando,” the company wrote.

The Orlando Police department distributed the video across its own social media channels.

“The Orlando Police Department does not tolerate criminal behavior of any kind,” said Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith in a statement. “Whoever committed this brazen vandalism against our city’s LGBTQ+ businesses will be held accountable.”

In the video, an individual wearing a hoodie, pants and possibly a surgical mask walks up to the complex with a strap hanging over his shoulder. While the perspective on the suspect in the video is obstructed for much of the 2 minutes and 44 seconds of footage, the video captures shots that shatter windows in the building.

The violent act against LGBTQ businesses had Orlando leaders on edge.

“Orlando’s top LGBTQ bar strip has been vandalized,” tweeted Carlos Guillermo Smith, an LGBTQ+ activist and former state lawmaker. “Please be careful out there, ya’ll!”

The worst attack victimizing the LGBTQ+ community in U.S. history occurred in the Florida community in 2016, when a gunman killed 49 at the Pulse nightclub shooting before being killed by police in a standoff.

“We are dismayed at what seems to be a hate crime on another one of our queer spaces. Last night, someone shot out the windows at District Dive—one of our safe spaces,” read a statement from The Dru Project, an LGBTQ+ rights nonprofit launched after the Pulse shooting. “As we learn more, please keep in mind the communities who are continually retraumatized by shootings like this.”

Political leaders also spoke out about the incident.

“Awful and unacceptable,” wrote Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, on Facebook. “We will do everything we can to find out who did this and remain committed to LGBTQ+ equality and safety for all.”

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Anti-LGBTQ extremism is no match for Minnesota’s first trans lawmaker

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Minnesota state Rep. Leigh Finke was sworn into office on January 3, representing the Democrat-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party. She joins 11 LGBTQ+ state legislators who won their elections in the midterms.

Finke won against challenger Dave Thomas with a 25% margin. She then won the November general election with a whopping 81% of the vote against opponent Trace Johnson. She is the first out trans lawmaker elected to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and she’s ready to fight back.

Last year more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed through state legislatures, and while only a handful made it into law, they have detrimental effects.

Already, a minimum of 58 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced into the US legislature, with about half in Texas alone, according to Alejandra Caraballo, a civil rights attorney and clinical instructor at Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic. In particular, a slew of anti-trans gender-affirming healthcare bans have been introduced in 11 states, according to PBS News Hour. This life-saving healthcare is already a felony in Alabama, Tennessee, and soon, Arizona (a ban goes into effect in March), while Texas and Oklahoma have attempted to restrict gender-affirming healthcare, according to the Movement Advancement Project (MAP).

Nevertheless, Finke remains confident. For the first time in a decade, Minnesota’s government is a trifecta for progress, says Finke. The state’s Democratic Party has a stronghold in the governor’s office, the state Senate and state House of Representatives. For Finke, this means moving LGBTQ+ protections forward with less than a pause.

“There’s excitement around the ability to get things done,” Finke told LGBTQ Nation.

The immediate focuses of the queer caucus chair are banning conversion therapy, creating abortion access, and passing the Trans Refuge Bill into law. The bill seeks to protect trans children and their families from anti-trans laws and violence. State Sen. Scott Dibble (D) joined 21 LGBTQ+ legislators in introducing the Trans Refuge Bill across 19 state legislatures, according to a press release from California state Sen. Scott Weiner’s (D) office.

“It is because we have the trifecta that we can push forward,” said Finke. “We can say: ‘This is a priority for our community and we want it to be heard with an expectation that it will follow through’… at least on the House side; I can’t speak for the Senate.”

For the LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate, running for public office sets a national precedent for securing a safe anti-racist future for LGBTQ+, Black, and Indigenous people in Minnesota. Finke’s action plan to ensure this future is congruent with teamwork and her life spent in the state.

“I was the first trans person I ever met,” she said.

Finke says Minnesota is home to a strong, vocal protest movement that has translated the understanding that the fight for trans lives is a fight for Black lives, a fight for Black trans lives, and a fight for Minnesota’s 11 Indigenous tribal nations.

“I think the success of the trans and LGBTQ movement over the last couple of years has very directly been linked to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and its power in Minnesota,” Finke said. “It’s about being able to recognize what we can do as a queer caucus, but also understanding that the queer caucus needs to be willing to be led by those who are representing those other movements as well.”

Along with Finke, the Minnesota legislature welcomed the first Black women state senators in its 164 years of statehood: Erin Maye Quade, Zaynab Mohamed, and Clare Oumou Verbeten, according to Sahan Journal. Additionally, the three legislators are joined by Indigenous rights activists; state Rep. Alicia Kozlowski of the Objwe tribe is the state’s first two-spirit, nonbinary lawmaker.

“We are mutually dependent on each other because our communities, at the end of the day, are one community,” said Finke.

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San Francisco Launches Guaranteed Income for Transgender People Program

San Francisco has launched a pilot program that guarantees income for transgender residents. 

The Guaranteed Income for Transgender People (GIFT) will provide 55 residents with $1,200 a month for 18 months, including healthcare and financial coaching. 

Applications closed in December. Residents will be selected by organizations helping to administer and shape the program, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“By giving low-income trans people the resources to cover the expenses they deem most immediate and important given each person’s unique situation, we are implementing a truly community-centered intervention to combat poverty,” Aria Sa’id told the LA Times. Sa’id is the president of the Transgender District.

Proponents of the program said trans people experience poverty at a higher rate than other Californians. The 2015 U.S. Trans Survey found that 33% of transgender Californians lived in poverty, disproportionate to the state’s poverty level at only 12%, according to the U.S. Census.

“Even with our rich history of trans advocacy, we see that trans San Franciscans experience poverty at exponentially higher rates compared to the general population,” Pau Crego, executive director of the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives, said in a press release about GIFT. “This is especially the case for trans people of color, disabled trans people, trans elders and other trans communities deeply impacted by discrimination.”

Sa’id told The Times that over 3,200 messages were received in response to the program, some of them hate mail, some of them activists.

By the first week of applications opening, Sa’id estimated that the program received 2,000 applications. 

“I don’t think we were expecting that response … I’m so grateful we’re able to finally do this,” she said. “And at the same time, we can’t help everyone who has a demonstrated need and I think that’s what makes it bittersweet.”

GIFT is one of several basic income pilot programs in the city. Others are: 

  • Launched in 2020, the Abundant Birth Project provides pregnant Black and Pacific Islander residents with $1,000 per month from the first trimester to two years postpartum.
  • Launched in 2021, the Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists provides 190 artists with $1,000 per month for 18 months.

San Francisco plans to launch two pilot programs in 2023 for youth, including those transitioning out of the foster care system, The Times reported in November.

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