For days, death threats and homophobic insults have been pouring into Sofiia Lapina’s messaging inbox – a constant reminder of the hatred she often encounters as an LGBTQ+ rights activist in Ukraine.
Members of a far-right channel on the Telegram messaging app published Lapina’s phone number last month, and – following a series of recent attacks on the LGBTQ+ community – she is on edge. Some people have tracked down her address, too.
“They photographed my balcony, the entrance to my building, and they’ve been sending it all to me,” she said.
“It’s difficult to sleep, knowing that people have declared (they are hunting) you.”
Ukraine legalised gay sex in 1991, but conservative elements in the mainly Orthodox Christian nation often speak out against rights for LGBTQ+ people, and members of the far-right regularly target groups and events linked to the community.
Campaigners said homophobic abuse and violence could be increasing partly because of the growing visibility of the former Soviet nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Clashes broke out on Friday between police and far-right supporters outside the president’s office, where Lapina’s UkrainePride organisation was holding a rave to demand LGBTQ+ equality, local media reported.
“The LGBT movement is becoming more powerful, more productive, more effective,” said Lenny Emson, director of KyivPride, which has pushed back its annual march in the capital from June to September this year due to COVID-19.
“On the other hand, the stronger we are, the bigger the backlash.”
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