The gay Ukraians 'hunted' by Rsian soldiers and the alli helpg them pe | SBS News

Contents:

• THE FILM PUT DON’T WANT THE WORLD TO SEE: FIREBIRD, A GAY LOVE STORY ABOUT FIGHTER PILOTS
• RSIAN SOLDIERS ACCED OF TARGETED ANTI-GAY ATTACKS UKRAE
• 'GAY TATTOO' CHECK FOR RSIAN ARY RECS KREML'S LATT CLAMPDOWN ON HOMOSEXUALY
• GAY WAR VETERAN SPEAKS OUT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS UKRAE'S ARY
• IN RSIA, GAY PEOPLE ARE ROUTELY TARGETED. THAT’S WHY THIS UKRAIAN SOLDIER IS FIGHTG.
• THE GAY UKRAIANS 'HUNTED' BY RSIAN SOLDIERS AND THE ALLI HELPG THEM PEA YEAR SCE RSIA'S LATT VASN OF UKRAE, ALLEGATNS PERSIST OF LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE BEG TARGETED OCCUPIED AREAS. FRIENDS MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA AND RENEE DIXSON ARE OFFERG MEMBERS OF THE MUNY A LIFELE.PUBLISHED 22 FEBARY 2023 7:57AMBY SANDRA FULLOON, LERA SHVETSSOURCE: SBS NEWSIMAGE: RENEE DIXSON (LEFT) AND MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA CANBERRA. (SBS NEWS / KEV HUDSON)CONTENT WARNG: THIS ARTICLE NTAS REFERENC TO SEXUAL ASSLT AND SUICI.IT WAS 13 MAY WHEN UKRAIANS SVLANA AND KATERYNA* SAID THREE ARMED RSIAN SOLDIERS BURST TO THE SMALL ABANDONED HOE WHERE THEY HAD BEEN LIVG. “ONE OF THEM FELY HAD A GUN,” SVLANA SAID. “THEY SAW OUR DISASSEMBLED BED, ON WHICH WE SLEEP, AND ONE OF THE SOLDIERS ASKED , ‘WHAT ARE YOU, THOSE 'PKS'?”THE LBIAN UPLE HAD MOVED OM THE UKRAIAN CY OF KHERSON TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN OF OLHKI AFTER RSIA'S VASN FEBARY LAST YEAR, BUT SAY THEY ULDN'T PE THE WAR.“WE WERE RAPED, ME AND MY GIRLIEND, G PHYSIL FORCE,” SVLANA SAID, HER WORDS PUBLISHED A REPORT BY UKRAE'S LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS NASH SV CENTRE NOVEMBER.“AFTER THE VLENCE, THE ATTACKERS TURNED OVER EVERYTHG LOOKG FOR MONEY AND JEWELLERY. WE HAD NOTHG AND THEY LEFT.”THE ABANDONED TERNATNAL AIRPORT THE UKRANIAN CY OF KHERSON FEBARY 2023. SOURCE: GETTY / STT PETERSONIN ANOTHER SE, A GROUP OF YOUNG MEN ACCED OF BEG GAY WERE ALLEGEDLY TAKEN HOSTAGE BY RSIAN SOLDIERS.“THEY HELD THEM A HOE AND HUIATED THEM, RAPED THEM,” SAID VALII TSARI, A HATE CRIME MONOR FOR THE CENTRE WHO SPOKE TO SBS NEWS OM A SAFE HOE OSA.“IT WAS GROUP RAPE AND THEN THEY PISSED ON THEM."IN THE MORNG THEY THREW THEM OUTSI. THE YOUNG MEN WERE AGED BETWEEN 19 AND 21. ONE OF THEM LATER TOOK HIS OWN LIFE.”THEY HELD THEM A HOE AND HUIATED THEM, RAPED THEM.- VALII TSARI, LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS NASH SV CENTRE SBS NEWS WAS UNABLE TO PENNTLY VERIFY THE CLAIMS BUT THEY ARE JT TWO OF THE 105 ALLEGED S OF HUMAN RIGHTS VLATNS THE NASH SV CENTRE, A NON-ERNMENTAL ANISATN, SAID HAS DOCUMENTED THE PAST YEAR, CLUDG S NOVEMBER REPORT LGBTQ AND WAR. IT SAID HAD ALSO RECEIVED 50 LLS TO S HOTLE.MR TSARI, WHO IS GAY, ALSO ALLEGED: “[RSIAN SOLDIERS] HAVE LISTS OF LGBTQ ACTIVISTS WHO APPEAR ON TELEVISN AND PARTICIPATE. I KNOW ABOUT THOSE LISTS AND I THOUGHT I WOULD BE ON THERE ALSO”. MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA SAID SHE GOT OUT JT TIME, FLEEG HER HOME KHERSON ON THE DAY RSIAN TANKS VAD UKRAE, JT WEEKS BEFORE WAS OCCUPIED. MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA, PICTURED ATRALIA, IS HELPG LGBTIQ+ UKRAIANS. SOURCE: SBS NEWS / KEV HUDSON“I LEFT KHERSON BEE THE RSIAN SOLDIERS WOULD LOOK FOR ME AND IF THEY FOUND ME, THEY WOULD KILL ME,” SHE SAID. MS POLEVIKOVA, THE MANAGG DIRECTOR OF LGBTIQ+ ANISATN FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, WHO IS A LBIAN, SAID HER NCERNS WERE HEIGHTENED BY TERNATNAL REPORTS THAT SURFACED PRR TO THE VASN, CLAIMG RSIAN SOLDIERS PLANNED TO TARGET CERTA GROUPS.THE WASHGTON POST PUBLISHED A LETTER FEBARY OM THE UNED STAT REPRENTATIVE TO THE OFFICE OF THE UNED NATNS AMBASSADOR, BATHSHEBA NELL CROCKER, STATG THE US HAD “CREDIBLE RMATN THAT DIT RSIAN FORC ARE CREATG A TARGET LIST OF UKRAIANS TO BE KILLED OR SENT TO MPS THE EVENT OF A ARY OCCUPATN, AMONG THEM JOURNALISTS, ACTIVISTS AND GAY RIGHTS ADVOT”.THE RSIAN ERNMENT NIED THE CLAIMS, WH KREML SPOKPERSON DMRY PKOV LLG AN “ABSOLUTE FICTN”.KHERSON WAS LIBERATED ON 9 NOVEMBER BUT MS POLEVIKOVA SAID DURG THE RSIAN OCCUPATN, MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY EXPERIENCED SEXUAL VLENCE, IMPRISONMENT AND TORTURE. SHE C THE PERSONAL EXPERIENC OF PEOPLE SHE HAS SCE HELPED TO EVACUATE THROUGH A ALN OF KHERSON LGBTIQ+ ANISATNS.“IN OCCUPIED KHERSON, RSIAN SOLDIERS HAVE HUNTED AND ABED LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE,” SHE SAID. “THEY [RSIAN SOLDIERS] WOULD SET UP FAKE DAT THROUGH A DATG SE. MANY LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE WERE TAKEN HOSTAGE.“WE KNOW OF SOME TAKEN TO TORTURE ROOMS, LBIANS THAT WERE UNFORTUNATELY RAPED, SOME PEOPLE WERE SHOT THE LEGS, SOME PEOPLE WENT MISSG AND STILL HAVE NOT BEEN FOUND.IN OCCUPIED KHERSON, RSIAN SOLDIERS HAVE HUNTED AND ABED LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE.- MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA, FOR EQUAL RIGHTSTHE ALLEGATNS ALSO EXTEND TO THE BROAR LGBTIQ+ MUNY, SHE SAID. “TRANSGENR PEOPLE WERE AAID TO GO OUT BEE THE RSIAN SOLDIERS WOULD RANDOMLY STOP THEM, PEOPLE WHO HAD TATTOOS WH UKRAIAN AND LGBTIQ+ SYMBOLS WERE DANGER.”ESPG TO SAFETYMS POLEVIKOVA IS NOW LIVG BERL AND IS VISG ATRALIA THIS WEEK AS PART OF SYDNEY WORLDPRI EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENS OF NTUG NCERNS FOR LGBTIQ+ UKRANIANS. SHE HAS BEEN WORKG WH HER CANBERRA-BASED IEND RENEE DIXSON TO MOVE ABOUT 300 MEMBERS OF THE MUNY TO SAFER AREAS UKRAE AND OVERSEAS.MX DIXSON, WHO IS A QUEER NON-BARY UKRANIAN, LEFT KHERSON MORE THAN A AGO AND IS THE -FOUNR OF THE FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE NETWORK (FDPN).RENEE DIXSON CANBERRA. CRED: SBS / KEV HUDSONTEARFULLY, MX DIXSON RELLED WATCHG RSIAN TANKS ROLL TO UKRAE LAST YEAR OM AFAR.“THE VASN WAS HORRIFIC FOR EVERYONE, AND UNFORTUNATELY, LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE WERE A MORE PRER AND VULNERABLE POSN. “THE FIRST THG THAT I DID THAT DAY ... WAS LL MY IEND [MS POLEVIKOVA] AND I ASK HER TO FD A R AND TAKE FAY AND IENDS OM THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY AND TO EVACUATE THE CY OF KHERSON.” READ MORETHIS IS WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE AN LGBTIQ+ ASYLUM SEEKER ATRALIAALLEGATNS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AB AGAST LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE E AS NO SURPRISE TO AMNTY INTERNATNAL ATRALIA.“RSIA HAS A TRACK RERD OF TARGETG THE RABOW MUNY,” S REPRENTATIVE LUCY KENNY SAID.“ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC EVINCE ON WHAT'S HAPPENG UKRAE RIGHT NOW, RSIA OPERAT A STATE-SANCTNED REGIME OF HOMOPHOBIA.”RSIA HAS A TRACK RERD OF TARGETG THE RABOW MUNY.- LUCY KENNY, AMNTY INTERNATNALIN DECEMBER, LAWS WERE TRODUCED THAT WIN THE PROHIBN OF "LGBT PROPAGANDA" RSIA AND RTRICT THE "MONSTRATN" OF LGBTIQ+ BEHAVUR. THE LEGISLATN PROHIBS ANY ACTN OR RMATN THAT IS NSIRED AN ATTEMPT TO PROMOTE HOMOSEXUALY AND BREACH N CUR A HEAVY FE.“THERE IS A LOT OF HATRED AND HOMOPHOBIA DISTRIBUTED BY THE KREML,” AMBASSADOR OF UKRAE TO ATRALIA VASYL MYROSHNYCHENKO SAID. “SO NATURALLY WHEN THEY OCCUPIED UKRAE, THEY WERE LOOKG FOR THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY AND TARGETG THEM SPECIFILLY.HE SAID THE ALLEGATNS ALSO EXTEND TO OTHER GROUPS. “RSIAN SOLDIERS ARE ALSO TARGETG WOMEN ... THEY ARE TARGETG RELIG MORI. THEY'RE TARGETG ETHNIC MORI. THE CRIM ARE QUE NUMERO.”READ MORETHE US HAS FORMALLY ACCED RSIA OF MTG 'CRIM AGAST HUMANY' UKRAERSIA HAS REPEATEDLY NIED S SOLDIERS HAVE MTED WAR CRIM DURG THE VASN.IN A STATEMENT TRANSLATED BY SBS RSIAN, A SPOKPERSON FOR THE EMBASSY OF THE RSIAN FERATN ATRALIA SCRIBED CLAIMS OF TARGETED ATTACKS ON UKRAE’S LGBTIQ+ MUNY AS A FABRITN.“THE ACCATNS ARE, ANKLY, LNAL AND ARE REMISCENT OF STORI ABOUT THE ALLEGED SEXUAL ATROCI OF THE RSIAN ARY WHICH THE ATRALIAN MEDIA PUBLISHED WILLGLY LAST YEAR. SBS WAS NO EXCEPTN,” THEY SAID. “THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF THIS SO-LLED RMATN WAS LYUDA DENISOVA, UKRAE’S FORMER OMBUDSMAN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. SHE LATER ADMTED THAT SHE BASILLY VENTED THE CHILLG STORI, SO THAT ‘THE WORLD WOULD NOT FET ABOUT KYIV.’”READ MOREVLADIMIR PUT FENDS 'NOBLE' WAR VASN AMID ALLEGATNS OF RAPE, BTALY AND CHEMIL WEAPONSTHE STATEMENT REFERS TO MENTS MA BY MS DENISOVA LAST YEAR ABOUT ALLEGED RAPE S AGAST RSIAN SOLDIERS. MS DENISOVA WAS REMOVED OM OFFICE AFTER A VOTE OF NO-NFINCE MAY. SHE SAID AT THE TIME SHE WOULD APPEAL THE CISN. “THE SBS DIENCE SHOULD KNOW THIS STORY ORR TO PERCEIVE THIS NEW BATCH OF FABRITNS THE RIGHT NTEXT,“ THE EMBASSY STATEMENT SAID. 'LIVG FEAR'ANDRIY MAYMULAKH, HEAD OF THE NASH SV CENTRE, SAID ONE YEAR ON OM THE VASN, SOME MEMBERS OF THE MUNY WHO REMA OCCUPIED AREAS REMA FEARFUL. “SUCH PEOPLE ARE SUBJECTED TO SULTS, VLENCE, EXTORTN, RTRICTN OF EEDOM, AND THEIR VERY LIV ARE DANGER. “TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE AAID TO GO OUT TO THE STREETS BEE IF THE RSIAN SOLDIERS ASK FOR THEIR DOCUMENTS AND THEY SEE SAYS 'MAN' AND THE PERSON LOOKS LIKE A WOMAN, THEN IS A BIG QUTN.”HIS LLEAGUE MR TSARI SAID THE NUMBER OF ALLEGED ASSLTS ULD ALSO BE MUCH HIGHER THAN REPORTED AS THOSE STILL OCCUPIED AREAS FEAR RETRIBUTN FOR THEMSELV OR THEIR FAI IF THEY SPEAK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENC.HATE CRIME MONOR VALII TSARI. SOURCE: SUPPLIED / VALII TSARIAS WELL AS HELPG RELOTE PEOPLE OM UKRAE, MS POLEVIKOVA AND MX DIXSON HAVE ALSO BEEN LLABORATG TO PROVI SUPPLI SUCH AS HIV MEDITN TO THOSE WHO REMA. THEY ALSO RAISE FUNDS FOR FOOD AND HORMONE THERAPY FOR TRANSGENR PEOPLE, LIVERED WH THE HELP OF LOL VOLUNTEERS.BUT EVEN AFTER ARRIVG NEW UNTRI, CLUDG ATRALIA, SOME MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY N NTUE TO FACE SOCIAL BARRIERS AND ABE, ACRDG TO A RECENT SURVEY BY FDPN LLED INHABG TWO WORLDS AT ONCE.“WE FOUND OUT HORRIFIC RMATN AND DATA,” MX DIXSON SAID.READ MORE'MY PARENTS REJECTED ME FOR BEG GAY'OF THE 82 LGBTIQ+ RPONNTS ATRALIA, ONE-THIRD CHOSE NOT TO ANSWER A QUTN ABOUT VLENCE EXPERIENCED ATRALIA, BUT 60 PER CENT WHO DID SAID THEY HAD EXPERIENCED AT LEAST ONE FORM OF VLENCE SCE ARRIVG.FDPN ALSO C GLOBAL DATA WHICH SUGGTS UP TO SIX PER CENT OF REFUGE ARE MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY. MX DIXSON IS LLG ON THE ATRALIAN ERNMENT TO TRODUCE SEPARATE QUOTAS AND PROVI MORE SPECIFIC SUPPORT FOR LGBTIQ+ REFUGE. “WE ARE LOSG MEMBERS NOT ONLY UKRAE, BUT AFGHANISTAN, IRAN,” MX DIXSON SAID. “WE NEED TO DO MORE FOR MUNI AROUND THE WORLD THAT ARE SUFFERG UNR HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA, CREATG SAFE AND WELG SPAC HOST UNTRI, TO HELP PEOPLE FD PATHWAYS TO BELONGG.”SBS NEWS HAS NTACTED THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS FOR MENT. ATRALIA HAS GIVEN $655 LN TO UKRAE OVER THE PAST YEAR, CLUDG $65 LN HUMANARIAN ASSISTANCE.THE QUEER DISPLACEMENTS NFERENCE ANISED BY THE FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE NETWORK (FDPN) WILL BE HELD ON 22-23 FEBARY AT THE UNIVERSY OF WTERN SYDNEY AS PART OF SYDNEY WORLDPRI.*NAM HAVE BEEN CHANGEDLERA SHVETS IS A PRODUCER FOR SBS RSIAN. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS IMPACTED BY SEXUAL ASSLT, LL 1800RESPECT ON 1800 737 732 OR VIS . IN AN EMERGENCY, LL 000. LGBTIQ+ ATRALIANS SEEKG SUPPORT WH MENTAL HEALTH N NTACT QLIFE ON 1800 184 527 OR VIS .  ALSO HAS A LIST OF SUPPORT SERVIC.  WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR STORY WH SBS NEWS? EMAIL SHARETAGSWORLDTOPICS

THE FILM PUT DON’T WANT THE WORLD TO SEE: FIREBIRD, A GAY LOVE STORY ABOUT FIGHTER PILOTS

“Beg gay was a crimal offence. ” Rebane knew he was gay at the age of ne.

RSIAN SOLDIERS ACCED OF TARGETED ANTI-GAY ATTACKS UKRAE

”Remarkably for a film wh such overtly gay ntent, several exterr scen were filmed Mosw. “After that, ” adds Prr, “there was a plat about beg ‘homosexual propaganda’.

Invadg Rsian soldiers have been acced of targeted anti-gay attacks agast Ukraians, cludg sexual vlence, rape, imprisonment, asslt, theft and attempted murr, openDemocracy n the war began, Ukraian LGBT human rights anisatn Nash Sv (Our World) has been speakg to victims to document the human rights vlatns by Rsian the ten s intified by Nash Sv, and exclively shared wh openDemocracy, eight are believed to have occurred the Kherson regn, which was the only regnal pal ptured by Rsian forc. But when soldiers went through msag on Alexanr’s phone, they realised he was gay. After fdg a gay porn vio on Ilya's phone, the soldiers began punchg both men, leavg visible bis on their hands and shoulrs.

Homophobic sults were also levelled at the pair, wh the soldiers askg: "Are you a uple? Gays or real men? As they drove away, the soldiers shot at them, wh bullets beg left the had not known Ilya was gay before the solirs outed him, and he reacted badly.

'GAY TATTOO' CHECK FOR RSIAN ARY RECS KREML'S LATT CLAMPDOWN ON HOMOSEXUALY

” The suatn lated quickly, wh the ary occupiers threateng to rape Volodymyr to teach him a lson, as well as threateng to hand him over to the Chechens, an apparent reference to the anti-gay laws of the Chechen men began to forcibly undrs Volodymyr, but another Rsian patrol group passg by tervened.

Dutch MPs have lled for a special tribunal for Put and his associat The have been prev allegatns of the Rsian state and s actors targetg people on the basis of their sexual orientatn, such as the reported anti-gay purg  the Chechen Republic, a part of the Rsian Feratn, 2017. A Council of Europe report to anti-LGBTIQ crim scribed the state-sponsored attacks the regn as “the sgle most egreg example of vlence agast LGBTIQ people Europe that has occurred s” suatn for members of the LGBTIQ muny livg Rsia shows ltle sign of improvg, wh a so-lled ban on “gay propaganda” beg extend to all adults, buildg on a 2013 law that mak sharg rmatn about beg LGBT to children a crimal offence.

GAY WAR VETERAN SPEAKS OUT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS UKRAE'S ARY

Before "don't ask, don't tell" was officially repealed for gay, lbian, and bisexual ary personnel 2011, a photo of a male Mare drag uld have land him hot water. "Lbian, gay, and bisexual ary personnel had been servg our untry for s whout receivg equal protectn, while transgenr troops are still prohibed om servg openly.

IN RSIA, GAY PEOPLE ARE ROUTELY TARGETED. THAT’S WHY THIS UKRAIAN SOLDIER IS FIGHTG.

"As a gay man, I n relate to what is still the opprsive stigma of homosexualy. Wh a day of s publitn, the Natnal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) announced would open an vtigatn to “this ugly se” prsure om the regnal ernor, the rector of the Ulyanovsk Instute of Civil Aviatn, Sergei Krasnov, likened the ts’ suatn to Psy such an “unfivable” disgrace to veterans, he said, they uld be expelled, perhaps, even, tried unr Rsia’s ntroversial anti-homosexual laws. As an unspectg dience looked on, the men hoisted a shirtls lleague above their heads, placed a ncrete block on his stomach that suggted gay people should be killed, and proceed to smash the symbolic object wh what appeared to be a sledgehammer.

Not the head of the paratrooper club, who, judgg by his remarks afterward, saw nothg wrong wh the homophobic display. They jt don't like" gay people, Andrei Palachev later was quoted as tellg reporters, g an offensive slur for gays.

Homophobia, Intolerance On The Rise? The performance Yaroslavl is jt the latt example of risg homophobia and tolerance toward mory groups Rsia, a trend that appears to be worseng part bee of seemg official difference to such displays.

THE GAY UKRAIANS 'HUNTED' BY RSIAN SOLDIERS AND THE ALLI HELPG THEM PEA YEAR SCE RSIA'S LATT VASN OF UKRAE, ALLEGATNS PERSIST OF LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE BEG TARGETED OCCUPIED AREAS. FRIENDS MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA AND RENEE DIXSON ARE OFFERG MEMBERS OF THE MUNY A LIFELE.PUBLISHED 22 FEBARY 2023 7:57AMBY SANDRA FULLOON, LERA SHVETSSOURCE: SBS NEWSIMAGE: RENEE DIXSON (LEFT) AND MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA CANBERRA. (SBS NEWS / KEV HUDSON)CONTENT WARNG: THIS ARTICLE NTAS REFERENC TO SEXUAL ASSLT AND SUICI.IT WAS 13 MAY WHEN UKRAIANS SVLANA AND KATERYNA* SAID THREE ARMED RSIAN SOLDIERS BURST TO THE SMALL ABANDONED HOE WHERE THEY HAD BEEN LIVG. “ONE OF THEM FELY HAD A GUN,” SVLANA SAID. “THEY SAW OUR DISASSEMBLED BED, ON WHICH WE SLEEP, AND ONE OF THE SOLDIERS ASKED , ‘WHAT ARE YOU, THOSE 'PKS'?”THE LBIAN UPLE HAD MOVED OM THE UKRAIAN CY OF KHERSON TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN OF OLHKI AFTER RSIA'S VASN FEBARY LAST YEAR, BUT SAY THEY ULDN'T PE THE WAR.“WE WERE RAPED, ME AND MY GIRLIEND, G PHYSIL FORCE,” SVLANA SAID, HER WORDS PUBLISHED A REPORT BY UKRAE'S LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS NASH SV CENTRE NOVEMBER.“AFTER THE VLENCE, THE ATTACKERS TURNED OVER EVERYTHG LOOKG FOR MONEY AND JEWELLERY. WE HAD NOTHG AND THEY LEFT.”THE ABANDONED TERNATNAL AIRPORT THE UKRANIAN CY OF KHERSON FEBARY 2023. SOURCE: GETTY / STT PETERSONIN ANOTHER SE, A GROUP OF YOUNG MEN ACCED OF BEG GAY WERE ALLEGEDLY TAKEN HOSTAGE BY RSIAN SOLDIERS.“THEY HELD THEM A HOE AND HUIATED THEM, RAPED THEM,” SAID VALII TSARI, A HATE CRIME MONOR FOR THE CENTRE WHO SPOKE TO SBS NEWS OM A SAFE HOE OSA.“IT WAS GROUP RAPE AND THEN THEY PISSED ON THEM."IN THE MORNG THEY THREW THEM OUTSI. THE YOUNG MEN WERE AGED BETWEEN 19 AND 21. ONE OF THEM LATER TOOK HIS OWN LIFE.”THEY HELD THEM A HOE AND HUIATED THEM, RAPED THEM.- VALII TSARI, LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS NASH SV CENTRE SBS NEWS WAS UNABLE TO PENNTLY VERIFY THE CLAIMS BUT THEY ARE JT TWO OF THE 105 ALLEGED S OF HUMAN RIGHTS VLATNS THE NASH SV CENTRE, A NON-ERNMENTAL ANISATN, SAID HAS DOCUMENTED THE PAST YEAR, CLUDG S NOVEMBER REPORT LGBTQ AND WAR. IT SAID HAD ALSO RECEIVED 50 LLS TO S HOTLE.MR TSARI, WHO IS GAY, ALSO ALLEGED: “[RSIAN SOLDIERS] HAVE LISTS OF LGBTQ ACTIVISTS WHO APPEAR ON TELEVISN AND PARTICIPATE. I KNOW ABOUT THOSE LISTS AND I THOUGHT I WOULD BE ON THERE ALSO”. MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA SAID SHE GOT OUT JT TIME, FLEEG HER HOME KHERSON ON THE DAY RSIAN TANKS VAD UKRAE, JT WEEKS BEFORE WAS OCCUPIED. MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA, PICTURED ATRALIA, IS HELPG LGBTIQ+ UKRAIANS. SOURCE: SBS NEWS / KEV HUDSON“I LEFT KHERSON BEE THE RSIAN SOLDIERS WOULD LOOK FOR ME AND IF THEY FOUND ME, THEY WOULD KILL ME,” SHE SAID. MS POLEVIKOVA, THE MANAGG DIRECTOR OF LGBTIQ+ ANISATN FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, WHO IS A LBIAN, SAID HER NCERNS WERE HEIGHTENED BY TERNATNAL REPORTS THAT SURFACED PRR TO THE VASN, CLAIMG RSIAN SOLDIERS PLANNED TO TARGET CERTA GROUPS.THE WASHGTON POST PUBLISHED A LETTER FEBARY OM THE UNED STAT REPRENTATIVE TO THE OFFICE OF THE UNED NATNS AMBASSADOR, BATHSHEBA NELL CROCKER, STATG THE US HAD “CREDIBLE RMATN THAT DIT RSIAN FORC ARE CREATG A TARGET LIST OF UKRAIANS TO BE KILLED OR SENT TO MPS THE EVENT OF A ARY OCCUPATN, AMONG THEM JOURNALISTS, ACTIVISTS AND GAY RIGHTS ADVOT”.THE RSIAN ERNMENT NIED THE CLAIMS, WH KREML SPOKPERSON DMRY PKOV LLG AN “ABSOLUTE FICTN”.KHERSON WAS LIBERATED ON 9 NOVEMBER BUT MS POLEVIKOVA SAID DURG THE RSIAN OCCUPATN, MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY EXPERIENCED SEXUAL VLENCE, IMPRISONMENT AND TORTURE. SHE C THE PERSONAL EXPERIENC OF PEOPLE SHE HAS SCE HELPED TO EVACUATE THROUGH A ALN OF KHERSON LGBTIQ+ ANISATNS.“IN OCCUPIED KHERSON, RSIAN SOLDIERS HAVE HUNTED AND ABED LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE,” SHE SAID. “THEY [RSIAN SOLDIERS] WOULD SET UP FAKE DAT THROUGH A DATG SE. MANY LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE WERE TAKEN HOSTAGE.“WE KNOW OF SOME TAKEN TO TORTURE ROOMS, LBIANS THAT WERE UNFORTUNATELY RAPED, SOME PEOPLE WERE SHOT THE LEGS, SOME PEOPLE WENT MISSG AND STILL HAVE NOT BEEN FOUND.IN OCCUPIED KHERSON, RSIAN SOLDIERS HAVE HUNTED AND ABED LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE.- MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA, FOR EQUAL RIGHTSTHE ALLEGATNS ALSO EXTEND TO THE BROAR LGBTIQ+ MUNY, SHE SAID. “TRANSGENR PEOPLE WERE AAID TO GO OUT BEE THE RSIAN SOLDIERS WOULD RANDOMLY STOP THEM, PEOPLE WHO HAD TATTOOS WH UKRAIAN AND LGBTIQ+ SYMBOLS WERE DANGER.”ESPG TO SAFETYMS POLEVIKOVA IS NOW LIVG BERL AND IS VISG ATRALIA THIS WEEK AS PART OF SYDNEY WORLDPRI EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENS OF NTUG NCERNS FOR LGBTIQ+ UKRANIANS. SHE HAS BEEN WORKG WH HER CANBERRA-BASED IEND RENEE DIXSON TO MOVE ABOUT 300 MEMBERS OF THE MUNY TO SAFER AREAS UKRAE AND OVERSEAS.MX DIXSON, WHO IS A QUEER NON-BARY UKRANIAN, LEFT KHERSON MORE THAN A AGO AND IS THE -FOUNR OF THE FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE NETWORK (FDPN).RENEE DIXSON CANBERRA. CRED: SBS / KEV HUDSONTEARFULLY, MX DIXSON RELLED WATCHG RSIAN TANKS ROLL TO UKRAE LAST YEAR OM AFAR.“THE VASN WAS HORRIFIC FOR EVERYONE, AND UNFORTUNATELY, LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE WERE A MORE PRER AND VULNERABLE POSN. “THE FIRST THG THAT I DID THAT DAY ... WAS LL MY IEND [MS POLEVIKOVA] AND I ASK HER TO FD A R AND TAKE FAY AND IENDS OM THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY AND TO EVACUATE THE CY OF KHERSON.” READ MORETHIS IS WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE AN LGBTIQ+ ASYLUM SEEKER ATRALIAALLEGATNS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AB AGAST LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE E AS NO SURPRISE TO AMNTY INTERNATNAL ATRALIA.“RSIA HAS A TRACK RERD OF TARGETG THE RABOW MUNY,” S REPRENTATIVE LUCY KENNY SAID.“ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC EVINCE ON WHAT'S HAPPENG UKRAE RIGHT NOW, RSIA OPERAT A STATE-SANCTNED REGIME OF HOMOPHOBIA.”RSIA HAS A TRACK RERD OF TARGETG THE RABOW MUNY.- LUCY KENNY, AMNTY INTERNATNALIN DECEMBER, LAWS WERE TRODUCED THAT WIN THE PROHIBN OF "LGBT PROPAGANDA" RSIA AND RTRICT THE "MONSTRATN" OF LGBTIQ+ BEHAVUR. THE LEGISLATN PROHIBS ANY ACTN OR RMATN THAT IS NSIRED AN ATTEMPT TO PROMOTE HOMOSEXUALY AND BREACH N CUR A HEAVY FE.“THERE IS A LOT OF HATRED AND HOMOPHOBIA DISTRIBUTED BY THE KREML,” AMBASSADOR OF UKRAE TO ATRALIA VASYL MYROSHNYCHENKO SAID. “SO NATURALLY WHEN THEY OCCUPIED UKRAE, THEY WERE LOOKG FOR THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY AND TARGETG THEM SPECIFILLY.HE SAID THE ALLEGATNS ALSO EXTEND TO OTHER GROUPS. “RSIAN SOLDIERS ARE ALSO TARGETG WOMEN ... THEY ARE TARGETG RELIG MORI. THEY'RE TARGETG ETHNIC MORI. THE CRIM ARE QUE NUMERO.”READ MORETHE US HAS FORMALLY ACCED RSIA OF MTG 'CRIM AGAST HUMANY' UKRAERSIA HAS REPEATEDLY NIED S SOLDIERS HAVE MTED WAR CRIM DURG THE VASN.IN A STATEMENT TRANSLATED BY SBS RSIAN, A SPOKPERSON FOR THE EMBASSY OF THE RSIAN FERATN ATRALIA SCRIBED CLAIMS OF TARGETED ATTACKS ON UKRAE’S LGBTIQ+ MUNY AS A FABRITN.“THE ACCATNS ARE, ANKLY, LNAL AND ARE REMISCENT OF STORI ABOUT THE ALLEGED SEXUAL ATROCI OF THE RSIAN ARY WHICH THE ATRALIAN MEDIA PUBLISHED WILLGLY LAST YEAR. SBS WAS NO EXCEPTN,” THEY SAID. “THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF THIS SO-LLED RMATN WAS LYUDA DENISOVA, UKRAE’S FORMER OMBUDSMAN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. SHE LATER ADMTED THAT SHE BASILLY VENTED THE CHILLG STORI, SO THAT ‘THE WORLD WOULD NOT FET ABOUT KYIV.’”READ MOREVLADIMIR PUT FENDS 'NOBLE' WAR VASN AMID ALLEGATNS OF RAPE, BTALY AND CHEMIL WEAPONSTHE STATEMENT REFERS TO MENTS MA BY MS DENISOVA LAST YEAR ABOUT ALLEGED RAPE S AGAST RSIAN SOLDIERS. MS DENISOVA WAS REMOVED OM OFFICE AFTER A VOTE OF NO-NFINCE MAY. SHE SAID AT THE TIME SHE WOULD APPEAL THE CISN. “THE SBS DIENCE SHOULD KNOW THIS STORY ORR TO PERCEIVE THIS NEW BATCH OF FABRITNS THE RIGHT NTEXT,“ THE EMBASSY STATEMENT SAID. 'LIVG FEAR'ANDRIY MAYMULAKH, HEAD OF THE NASH SV CENTRE, SAID ONE YEAR ON OM THE VASN, SOME MEMBERS OF THE MUNY WHO REMA OCCUPIED AREAS REMA FEARFUL. “SUCH PEOPLE ARE SUBJECTED TO SULTS, VLENCE, EXTORTN, RTRICTN OF EEDOM, AND THEIR VERY LIV ARE DANGER. “TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE AAID TO GO OUT TO THE STREETS BEE IF THE RSIAN SOLDIERS ASK FOR THEIR DOCUMENTS AND THEY SEE SAYS 'MAN' AND THE PERSON LOOKS LIKE A WOMAN, THEN IS A BIG QUTN.”HIS LLEAGUE MR TSARI SAID THE NUMBER OF ALLEGED ASSLTS ULD ALSO BE MUCH HIGHER THAN REPORTED AS THOSE STILL OCCUPIED AREAS FEAR RETRIBUTN FOR THEMSELV OR THEIR FAI IF THEY SPEAK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENC.HATE CRIME MONOR VALII TSARI. SOURCE: SUPPLIED / VALII TSARIAS WELL AS HELPG RELOTE PEOPLE OM UKRAE, MS POLEVIKOVA AND MX DIXSON HAVE ALSO BEEN LLABORATG TO PROVI SUPPLI SUCH AS HIV MEDITN TO THOSE WHO REMA. THEY ALSO RAISE FUNDS FOR FOOD AND HORMONE THERAPY FOR TRANSGENR PEOPLE, LIVERED WH THE HELP OF LOL VOLUNTEERS.BUT EVEN AFTER ARRIVG NEW UNTRI, CLUDG ATRALIA, SOME MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY N NTUE TO FACE SOCIAL BARRIERS AND ABE, ACRDG TO A RECENT SURVEY BY FDPN LLED INHABG TWO WORLDS AT ONCE.“WE FOUND OUT HORRIFIC RMATN AND DATA,” MX DIXSON SAID.READ MORE'MY PARENTS REJECTED ME FOR BEG GAY'OF THE 82 LGBTIQ+ RPONNTS ATRALIA, ONE-THIRD CHOSE NOT TO ANSWER A QUTN ABOUT VLENCE EXPERIENCED ATRALIA, BUT 60 PER CENT WHO DID SAID THEY HAD EXPERIENCED AT LEAST ONE FORM OF VLENCE SCE ARRIVG.FDPN ALSO C GLOBAL DATA WHICH SUGGTS UP TO SIX PER CENT OF REFUGE ARE MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY. MX DIXSON IS LLG ON THE ATRALIAN ERNMENT TO TRODUCE SEPARATE QUOTAS AND PROVI MORE SPECIFIC SUPPORT FOR LGBTIQ+ REFUGE. “WE ARE LOSG MEMBERS NOT ONLY UKRAE, BUT AFGHANISTAN, IRAN,” MX DIXSON SAID. “WE NEED TO DO MORE FOR MUNI AROUND THE WORLD THAT ARE SUFFERG UNR HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA, CREATG SAFE AND WELG SPAC HOST UNTRI, TO HELP PEOPLE FD PATHWAYS TO BELONGG.”SBS NEWS HAS NTACTED THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS FOR MENT. ATRALIA HAS GIVEN $655 LN TO UKRAE OVER THE PAST YEAR, CLUDG $65 LN HUMANARIAN ASSISTANCE.THE QUEER DISPLACEMENTS NFERENCE ANISED BY THE FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE NETWORK (FDPN) WILL BE HELD ON 22-23 FEBARY AT THE UNIVERSY OF WTERN SYDNEY AS PART OF SYDNEY WORLDPRI.*NAM HAVE BEEN CHANGEDLERA SHVETS IS A PRODUCER FOR SBS RSIAN. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS IMPACTED BY SEXUAL ASSLT, LL 1800RESPECT ON 1800 737 732 OR VIS . IN AN EMERGENCY, LL 000. LGBTIQ+ ATRALIANS SEEKG SUPPORT WH MENTAL HEALTH N NTACT QLIFE ON 1800 184 527 OR VIS .  ALSO HAS A LIST OF SUPPORT SERVIC.  WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR STORY WH SBS NEWS? EMAIL SHARETAGSWORLDTOPICS

Homosexualy was crimalized Rsia the 1990s, but LGBT people have faced varyg gre of discrimatn over the years.

Rights fenrs say bias has been enuraged by a law targetg "gay propaganda, " which Print Vladimir Put signed 2013. Sce then, LGBT-rights mpaigners and hate-crime rearchers have reported a notable uptick vlence and harassment agast gays and lbians, often om nservative activists or those pog Orthodox Christian beliefs.