Prominent LGBTQ+ And Feminist Leader Attacked In Ukraine
April 14, 2022Olena Shevchencko, a well known activist and the founder of Ukrainian LGBTQ+ group Insight, was attacked with pepper spray in the western city of Lviv today. Prominent Ukrainian journalist Katerina Sergatskova suggested it may be an act of hate by a Russian saboteur.
According to multiple reports, the assailant walked up to her, offered a quick hello, and then unleashed his assault.
Insight, which promotes itself as being a “public organization whose main values are equality, feminism, freedom, inclusiveness, diversity for all social groups,” has provided invaluable assistance to minority communities across Ukraine during the ongoing war.
Shevchencko herself described the group she leads as follows, “The struggle for LGBTQI* rights is directly related to women’s rights. We have a feminist structure, and even now there are no male cisgenders on our team. Insight includes transgender men and women, and most of the cisgender women are lesbian or bisexual. We use the same approach in regional offices where not a single senior position is held by a cisgender man.”
As LGBTQ Nation writes, most recently the organization was lauded by Kyiv Pride and has recently been featured in several international news articles.
Lviv, the city where Shevchencko was ambushed, is a metropolitan area bordering Poland and a central location for the war’s Ukrainian victims including refugees and internally displaced peoples.
This story is developing.
Read related myGwork articles here:
Russian Church Leader Appears To Blame Gay Pride Parades For Ukraine War
Israel's Agudah Launches Emergency Fundraiser for LGBTQ+ Ukrainians
Keep up to date with the latest myGnews