“I managed to escape the Russian occupation”

The war is going on. Munich Kyiv Queer is therefore continuing to collect stories from LGBTIQ* people in Ukraine. We ask them: How do you live with this war? We want to raise awareness of the situation of queer people and collect donations. This is the story of Oleksandra.

Oleksandra held out in Mariupol for two months when the city had already been occupied by the Russian army. Then, as if by a miracle, she managed to get out. Her home was completely destroyed.

Oleksandra set off westwards with her girlfriend. They now live in Ivano-Frankivsk. That’s good, and they have even found jobs. However, the salary they receive barely covers the rent. And somehow they are not underprivileged enough to receive funds for food, medicine, toiletries and clothing. So “You are not alone” was really the only help they could reach out for and they are very grateful. Oleksandra and her girlfriend hope that we will continue to support the LGBTIQ* community in Ukraine. VIDEO

“You are not alone” is co-financed by the Queer Emergency Aid Ukraine alliance, of which Munich Kyiv Queer is also part of. These are your donations that make a difference here.

Thanks to all contributors!

Many thanks also to Oleksandra Semenova, who helped us with this video project. Thanks to Matt and Stas for the subtitles. And thanks to Nikita for the Ukrainian translations.

This is how you can donate

INDIVIDUAL HELP Munich Kyiv Queer has its own fundraising campaign via https://www.paypal.me/ConradBreyer to support queer people in Ukraine who are in need or on the run. Why? Because not all LGBTIQ* are organised in the local LGBTIQ*-groups. This help is direct, fast and free of charge if you choose the option “For friends and family” on PayPal. If you don’t have PayPal, you can alternatively send money to the private account of Conrad Breyer, speaker of Munich Kyiv Queer, IBAN: DE427015000021121454.

All requests from the community are meticulously checked in cooperation with our partner organisations in Ukraine. If they can help themselves, they take over. If the demands for help exceed their (financial and/or material) possibilities, we will step in.

HELP FOR LGBTIQ* ORGANISATIONS To support LGBTIQ* in Ukraine we have helped set up the Alliance Queer Emergency Aid Ukraine, in which around 40 German LGBTIQ* Human Rights organisations are involved. All these groups have access to very different Human Rights organisations in Ukraine and use funds for urgently needed care or evacuation of queer people. Every donation helps and is used 100 percent to benefit queer people in Ukraine. Donate here

Questions? www.MunichKyivQueer.org/donations