PO “ALLIANCE.GLOBAL” Appeals to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Following the Disruption of an LGBT+ Center Opening in Ivano-Frankivsk

On August 16, the seventh LGBT+ community center “Insight” was opened in Ivano-Frankivsk. The space was created as a platform for friendly meetings, cultural, and educational events. However, the opening was disrupted when members of the organization “Tryzub” broke into the venue and used physical force, forcing the organizers to call the police.

The incident immediately gained media attention. On August 18, the Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv, released a video statement on his official Facebook page, where he referred to the opening of the center as “a blow to the family.” He also claimed such spaces allegedly “promote things that should not be promoted” and went as far as to publicly thank the “Tryzub” members who disrupted the event. Martsinkiv also urged the public to be “as intolerant as ever.”

PO “ALLIANCE.GLOBAL” officially responded to these developments by submitting an appeal to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. The organization emphasized that the actions of the attackers, as well as the mayor’s statements, contain signs of discrimination, hate speech, and an implicit endorsement of violence.

The appeal underlined that Ukrainian legislation explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. PO “ALLIANCE.GLOBAL” called on the Commissioner to send an act of response to the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council, conduct an internal investigation, and take further measures to ensure accountability.

The organization stressed that the state must guarantee equality for all citizens and provide an adequate legal assessment of the situation surrounding the opening of the “Insight” center in Ivano-Frankivsk.