Nastia: “Why did I have to leave my country to feel normal?”
Learning from one another, fighting together. That is the motto under which Munich Kyiv Queer has been inviting queer people from Ukraine to the ‘Volunteers Workshop’ in Munich for years. The focus: volunteering. The aim: to show what the community can achieve thanks to the commitment of its members! In the “Volunteers Blog”, our guests write about what moves them. Nastia, for example, finds it hard to understand why simply being herself should be something special?! Here in Germany, she can just be herself.
The hardest thing is to realise that your life is considered normal somewhere in Europe. But back home, it’s still seen as a ‘problem’.
Can you feel freedom the moment you simply set foot on the soil of another country? The journey here wasn’t easy: first the bus, eight hours at the border, then a night in Warsaw and finally the flight. To be honest – I was exhausted. But what awaited me afterwards made me forget all the tiredness.
My first steps in Germany were something special for me. It’s a strange but powerful feeling – realising that you’re in a country where people can be themselves, and the law is on your side.
My host family, a lesbian couple, has a completely normal life
We ended up in a lesbian community, where we got to know local queer people. And Ukrainian women who have been living here for several years.
My host family – a lesbian couple. And that was the moment that really moved me. Because for the first time, I didn’t see it as an ‘idea’ or a ‘topic of discussion’, but as a completely normal life. A home, everyday life, jokes, relationships. Just a family. Officially registered.
And at some point, I caught myself thinking: Why does this seem special to me, when it should really be the norm?
Ukraine, on the other hand, remains stuck in the 2000s
We had a packed schedule: meetings, workshops, discussions. It was interesting to listen to other people and share experiences. I was particularly impressed by how the local queer scene here preserves its culture. For example, the city’s Queer Archive is a testament to the work people have been doing for decades.
But at the same time, as I listened to the stories of representatives from the organisations and queer MPs, I felt the difference even more keenly. On many issues, Ukraine seems to have remained stuck in the early 2000s. And the amount of work the volunteers in these organisations put in is simply incredible. We really have a lot to learn here and can draw on these experiences.
This trip has given me more than just a new experience. It has shown just how much one’s outlook on life can differ – depending on where you are.
And now I have a simple, yet uncomfortable question: Why did I have to leave my country to feel normal?
On Friday, Nastia and the others will be talking at LeZ about their week in Munich
Living Library LGBTIQ* activists from Ukraine share their stories
When Friday, 8 May 2026, 7 pm
Where LeZ Lesbian-Queer Centre, Müllerstraße 26
Organisers Gay Alliance Ukraine, LeZ, CSD Munich, Munich Kyiv Queer, City of Munich Department of Culture
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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