Margo: “There’s still light and we shine”

This is Margo, a Ukrainian activist, volunteer and artist who’s working in Kharkiv’s community centre Pride Hub hosted by the Women’s Association Sphere. She fights for queer rights and has found ways to keep her mental health steady. This is another video our correspondent in Ukraine, Iryna Hanenkova, has collected for us.

Margo likes her work a lot because it helps raise visibility of LGBTIQ* in Ukraine and it’s the organisation’s contribution to self-defense as they donate 50 percent of their income to the Ukrainian army. Margo also takes part in KharkivPride every year to stand up for the rights of queer people in Ukraine which is very important especially in times of war as the news from the front constantly overshadow other topics the country should deal with.

Art, tea and her dog help to stay resilient

To maintain her mental health with all this bombing, explosions and tensions she holds art masterclasses for the LGBTIQ* community in the city, paints herself, allows herself to have tea breaks and spends time with her dog. He constantly reminds her that life goes on.

We continue collecting stories from queer people in Ukraine to understand how they live under the constant threat of war to raise awareness and ask for your support. This is about Margo’s life.

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

VULNERABLE GROUP And here you can find out why queer people in war need our support.

Questions? www.MunichKyivQueer.org/help

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