Queer Emergency Aid: How we help
On the 34th Independence Day of Ukraine, Germany’s Queer Emergency Aid Ukraine alliance is publishing a comprehensive activity report. That is how we help.
The association of LGBTIQ* organisations from Germany was founded in 2022 on the first day after the start of the war as a direct response to the humanitarian plight of queer people. This is because queer life is particularly threatened during war: by structural marginalisation, invisibility and concrete danger to life and limb.
The report for the years 2022 to 2024 documents this help, highlights the special needs of queer people in war and shows what it means when queer people do not leave each other alone. Despite record donations: Further aid is as necessary as it was a year ago.
The fight for independence and self-determination is existential and multi-layered
Since the outbreak of Russia’ war against Ukraine, the independence Ukraine gained from the Soviet Union in 1991 has once again been acutely threatened. In a referendum in December 1991, over 90 per cent of the population voted in favour of state independence. Today, over 30 years later, the country’s territorial integrity and state sovereignty are being severely jeopardised by the war.
For queer people in Ukraine, the desire for independence – and the threat to it – is not just a geopolitical concern. It is, as Oleksandra Semenova, coordinator and deputy head of the Ukrainian LGBTIQ* aid organisation “You Are Not Alone”, a partner organisation of QNU, explains: “a deeply personal and political experience”.
The long-standing struggle of queer people with marginalisation, visibility and rights is now reflected in a wider political context. At the same time, their threat situation is intensifying, with social marginalisation and violence increasing dramatically. Semenova continues:
“It is a day on which we realise that our fight for independence has many levels. We are not just fighting back against an external enemy – we are also fighting for the right to be ourselves in our own society: to be visible, to live safely, to exist without fear.”
Unbroken solidarity: generous donations from the queer community and its allies
For 3.5 years, the alliance has been working to provide concrete help to queer people in and from Ukraine and to promote long-term structural change. In the first year alone, the alliance collected 800,000 euros – a unique LGBTIQ*-specific fundraising campaign in Germany to date.
To mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, QNU is now presenting its activity report for the years 2022 to 2024 to take stock, provide insights and create visibility.
The report makes it clear how the alliance, together with thousands of committed supporters, has been able to provide help for queer people in and from Ukraine. All of this is fuelled by solidarity: since its foundation, the project has been driven forward on a voluntary basis by passionately committed people from the queer community – people who have stood by their Ukrainian allies. One of them is Pavlo Stroblja, founder of Queermentor, who has played a key role in the alliance for years:
“As a queer Ukrainian, I know what it means to fight for visibility and safety – not just politically, but existentially. The war affects queer people in two ways: we are defending our state independence – and at the same time our right to live as ourselves. When our identity is attacked, we respond with integrity. Reclaiming is our way of standing up – and carrying others with us. Queer Emergency Aid Ukraine stands for exactly that: for lived solidarity, for safe spaces in a state of emergency, and for a future in which independence also counts for queer people.”
More than partnership: international cooperation with local impact
One Ukrainian partner organisation that our alliance has been able to support financially in recent years is the human rights organisation Gender Zed. Among other things, the cooperation has ensured access to essential medicines via a pharmacy certificate system, offered psychological counselling in the Zaporizhzhya region and covered relocation and housing costs for evacuated employees.
“For Gender Zed, this cooperation was more than just a partnership – it became a true example of international solidarity based on trust, flexibility and a deep understanding of the needs of the LGBTIQ* community in times of war,” says Rostyslav Milevskyj, Managing Director of Gender Zed.
The situation remains serious – support remains essential
Despite enormous solidarity, an overwhelming willingness to donate from the community and allys as well as a growing partner network, the situation of many queer people in Ukraine and on the run remains precarious. The war continues – as does the need for concrete help and sustainable structural support. More information, figures and insights can be found in the 2022-2024 activity report.
Queere Nothilfe Ukraine is an alliance of various organisations from the LGBTIQ* community in Germany. It supports queer people who have had to flee Ukraine or are still in the country. This link provides an overview of the organisations involved, petition signatories, images and further information.
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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