Gay rights in Ukraine

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Contents 1 Legislation 2 Legal protection based on sexual orientation 3 Recognition of same sex couples 4 Gay life in the country

[edit] Legislation

Homosexual sex was legalised and the age of consent equalized in 1991. Gay people are exempt from military service.

[edit] Legal protection based on sexual orientation

There are no anti-discrimination laws, but president Viktor Yushchenko supports gay rights. The Ukrainian Constitution states that citizens are equal before law, but sexual orientation is not specifically mentioned. However, the list of grounds of discrimination includes an "on other basis", which could be used for gay protection, but it has never been tested in court.

[edit] Recognition of same sex couples

There is no legal recognition of same-sex couples.

[edit] Gay life in the country

There is rather well-established gay scene in Kiev and other main cities. Ukrainians in general are not very accepting of gays: only 15% agree with the existence of same-sex couples^{[citation needed]}. Public attitudes towards homosexuals are generally tolerant in Kiev and Kharkiv, but in rural areas, people are often extremely conservative and quite homophobic.