Who we are
Munich Kyiv Queer sees itself as an interface between Munich and the community in Kyiv as well as other Ukrainian cities; we initiate, mediate, design, coordinate and implement projects alone or together with the groups and associations of the respective cities. Find out more about our cooperation partners here
Our team includes individuals of all gender identities, sexual orientations, nationalities and ages. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds and bring our own life and professional experiences to the table. Everyone is welcome; everyone can contribute.
Munich Kyiv Queer meets every third Tuesday of the month at Sub. There is a core group and a number of people who support us on a one-off basis.
Stefan Block
is a scientist. He studied molecular biotechnology in Munich and can be quite hands-on. He always keeps an eye on things and meets every difficult situation with humor and empathy. Commitment is important to him. Before Stefan started at Munich Kyiv Queer, he was already active at Diversity, the umbrella organization of Munich’s queer youth groups. Stefan has always been interested in the community of Eastern Europe, which is under pressure in many countries.
„I would like to draw attention to the situation in Ukraine and contribute with words and deeds to a positive development on the ground.“
Uwe Hagenberg
Of course, Uwe (m.) had had many duties already. Most time in a week he worked for Siemens to earn a living before he retired. “And I was working hard to gain some honour working for Munich’s gay-queer centre Sub, too”, he says jokingly. Both jobs were fun for him and gave his life a meaning. Uwe is a big lover of human beings. He supports people and gives advice if they might feel they need it. After having given company to his husband for KyivPride 2013, he now is part of Munich Kyiv Queer. Now and then, he’s developing volunteer trainings for Kyiv’s LGBTIQ*-community. He’s also a coach for Munich Kyiv Queer’s team itself.
“Visiting Kyiv made me think about Human Rights. I am convinced that our world can improve as a whole when only two human beings start caring for each other. In Kyiv, I learned that this has always to be accompanied by a strong political commitment.“
Conrad Breyer
He has been responsible in Munich’s Gay Queer Center Sub for working with the press for several years now, in 2019 he also joined Munich Pride to take care of its PR. Conrad didn’t know much about Ukraine until the summer of 2012. After he met three guests of Munich’s CSD from Kyiv during the Pride Weeks to talk about press work on both sides of the Schengen-border, he began to become interested in the lifes of LGBTIQ* people there and now he is all fired up on the issue. Conrad organizes Munich Kyiv Queer and its press work; his husband Stas also co-ordinates the Pride partnership between CSD Munich and KyivPride. His main job is as an independent journalist and editor.
„I greatly admire the courage and political skills of these activists in Kyiv who don’t let the difficult circumstances get them down.“
Olena Hanich
has actually found to activism with Gay Alliance Ukraine. In 2015, she started to work for the Ukrainian LGBTIQ*-organization. Since then she has dedicated herself to the topic: Olena works in community building, with volunteers, for the Queer Homes in Ukraine and OdesaPride. She values Munich Kyiv Queer’s effectiveness and creative approach. The cooperation between Gay Alliance Ukraine and Munich Kyiv Queer, she says, has already significantly increased volunteering of LGBTIQ* activists in the regions.
„I dream of a strong and self-confident Ukrainian LGBTIQ* movement. Munich Kyiv Queer inspires me a lot in this respect.“
Stephanie Hügler
has been committed to Human Rights since she was a schoolgirl – starting with Amnesty International. Since she grew up with the image of the evil Russian during the Cold War, she enrolled at the university not only for sociology and psychology but also for Slavic studies. During her studies she attended language courses in Ukraine and Russia several times. She loves Eastern Europe. Today, Steffi works as a freelance science and medical journalist in Munich. She came to Munich Kyiv Queer through music: Steffi learned violin in her childhood, then as an adult she played in orchestras and bands, sang in choirs, today it is the trumpet. When a friend asked her in 2018 to host singers from Odesa’s queer ensemble Qwerty Queer, who were travelling to the LGBTIQ* choir festival Various Voices in Munich, she immediately agreed.
„In my view, freedom is something that cannot be restricted to a certain culture or region. For me, along with human dignity, freedom is one of the most important achievements of modern democracies that is worth fighting for.“
Taike I.
was heading “Team Home” at Munich Kyiv Queer until recently; now she volunteers for us. When Putin started his war against Ukraine on 24th of February, she wanted to take action. She had already been involved with Ukrainian LGBTIQ* in 2018, when we once again offered a workshop for volunteers from the country and were looking for hosts. Taike herself lives in a rainbow family and has a son. She grew up in Swabia, partly in Peru. A social scientist by profession, a certified project and energy manager, too, she is also working in the lesbian-queer centre LeZ. There, she mainly supports volunteers in their training for bar service.
„It’s important to me to do something and not just talk. So that queer people can find a safe space where they can show themselves and meet each other – just as they are. To this day, my task is very fulfilling: offering places to protect victims of war, people who suffered from persecution, oppression, hostility and exclusion.“
Thomas Kaiser
Swimming has long been a passion for Thomas. Therefore it didn’t take long after moving to Munich in 2008 to jump in with the Isarhechte. The Isarhechte are a queer swimming club and without them Thomas wouldn’t have found friends so quickly in a strange city. It showed him how important it is to have a functioning LGBTIQ* community. Now working in international trade, he always had an interest in things eastern, even from childhood as he grew up on the former inner-German border with a view of the Iron Curtain. This sharpened his desire for freedom and justice.
„I think it is brilliant that the community in Munich and Kyiv are linked. Our work together has given new impetus to the twin city partnership.“
Stanislav Mishchenko
The activist has been campaigning for LGBTIQ* rights in his home country for years. Thanks in part to him, the community has become more visible, louder and more committed. The whole of Europe supports it. However, the community is also more threatened than before and almost nothing is happening at state level for the sexual minority in the country. Stas worked for a long time for the Gay Alliance Ukraine, the gay magazine Stonewall, then as a fundraiser for the Regional HIV Legal Network, which campaigns for the rights of people who are HIV-positive or have to do with it. He is still involved in organising KyivPride as a board member, although he now lives in Munich with his husband Conrad. He also takes photographs, composes music and works as a graphic designer – a multi-talent.
“Society wants us to stay in our hiding places. But we are there with our hopes and fears, our love and grief, and we show ourselves.”
Kateryna Kudin
Katja is the good soul of Munich Kyiv Queer. Born in Ukraine, she has lived in Munich for many years, Katja studied here and most recently worked at the university. She has observed Munich Kyiv Queer’s work as part of the large Ukrainian community in the city for a very long time and then decided to get involved herself. With her ideas, her contacts and her commitment she is a great enrichment for the group. She joined with all her heart, nothing is more repugnant to her than when people are treated unfairly.
„It is about human rights and human dignity in my home country. I want queer people in Ukraine to enjoy equality and social acceptance.“
Leonard Pankonin
Leonard (r.) came to Munich as a refugee. He found out about us via social media and we were able to help him. In Ukraine, he worked for many years as an accountant for a textile factory and was involved as a queer activist for the community in Zhytomyr. Leonard is happy to have found a new home in Munich. Now he wants to give something back.
“I believe in solidarity and want to support Munich Kyiv Queer to help others.”
Olha Rubtsova
Olha came from Odesa in March 2022. She was our first guest. Olha has been involved as an LGBTIQ* activist in Ukraine for what feels like her whole life, although she actually worked as a dentist. She ran the Queer Home in Odesa for the organisation Gay Alliance Ukraine. She founded the country’s first LGBTIQ* choir, Qwerty Queer, with the support of Munich’s queer choirs, she made the Q-Fest happen and brought to life the queer theatre Arcush, and of course also helped with OdesaPride. She says she felt in the right place and helped people to be themselves. Olha is helping now, too. She has been involved in supporting Ukrainian LGBTIQ* in need since the beginning of the war, so with LEGATO, the umbrella organisation of queer choirs in Europe. “I feel needed,” she says.
„Munich Kyiv Queer has been with me for years. Maybe I would never have got involved as an activist if I hadn’t had the opportunity to found a queer choir on the occasion of Various Voices. Munich Kyiv Queer is a team I trust, Munich’s community a place where I feel home. They have helped me and others a lot. I am who I am because of this connection.“
Kamil Safin
can quickly become enthusiastic about something when it touches him. He has been interested in the LGBTIQ* movement in Eastern Europe for years, particularly in Ukraine. Kamil (r.) comes from Russia himself and knows what it means to be marginalised as a member of a minority. Yet he loves his country. He is wholeheartedly committed to fighting for human rights for all.
“Now that Ukraine and Russia are unfortunately drifting further and further apart politically, I think it’s important to at least continue social cooperation so as not to forget that the two countries have a lot in common. The further away you live from home, the better you understand how important that is.”
Oleksandra Semenova
came to Munich in spring 2022 with the first refugees from Ukraine and has been helping us a lot since then. Only one year later, she returned. She co-runs the LGBTIQ* organisation “You are not alone” in Zhytomyr, one of our partners in Ukraine, which, like Munich Kyiv Queer, reinvented itself overnight as an aid organisation. Oleksandra (r.) is a fighter. She helps LGBTIQ* in Ukraine who are in need. And she never takes a break. Oleksandra knows Munich from before. In 2018, she took part in our workshop “Volunteering in the Community” (photo). That’s when she learned to appreciate Munich’s community.
„I want to make this world a little safer, more tolerant and LGBTIQ-friendly. And that’s what we are doing now together with Munich Kyiv Queer in the alliance Queer Emergency Aid Ukraine. We are really a wonderful team.”
Sibylle von Tiedemann
Sibylle has been involved with our group for many years as a founding member and spokesperson. She repeatedly provided the Ukrainian parts to the Lesbian Culture Days in Munich, helped conduct trainings for Ukrainian LGBTIQ* volunteers and organised events such as the Ukrainian lesbian exhibition “No right to be herself” at the Cultural Centre Gasteig. The Slavicist and historian, who holds a doctorate, returned to join Munich Kyiv Queer as a volunteer after the war started. Not only can she as a scientist bring in her linguistic and cultural knowledge, but also her entire organisational talent.
„Russia’s war hurts me: as a person, as a German, as a Slavicist and historian. For me, ‘never again’ also means ‘never again war’. How such a phrase might take action makes me think every day.”
Nikita Volkov
The war has changed Nikita’s life, as it has changed the lives of so many. Nikita has been living in Munich since spring 2022, after fleeing from Odesa. The opera singer worked as a soloist at the Odesa Philharmonic and Odesa Academic Theater of Musical Comedy. Since the war started, he has been using his art as a singer and drag performer to advocate for Ukrainian LGBTIQ*. He wants to help the community through these difficult times.
“I believe that after the darkness there will be a dawn and my beloved Ukraine will become the centre of freedom and equality.”
Who we cooperate with
In Munich, our partners are first and foremost the LGBTIQ* associations that are in charge of Munich Pride CSD, i.e. LesCommunity (Lesbians), diversity München (queer Youth), Münchner Aids-Hilfe, the queer party Rosa Liste und the gay-queer centre Sub. But our cooperation is also backed by many political as well as leisure time groups like:
- Munich’s LGBTIQ* education project Aufklärungsprojekt for schools
- the Bayerischer Jugendring (Youth)
- the Daneben (events for women, trans* and inter*)
- the Forum Queeres Archiv
- the Gay Outdoor Club GOC and the
- Ukrainian Cultural Centre Gorod. In addition, we work with
- Gay & Gray,
- the tennis club InsideOut Munich,
- the Isarhechte (queer swimmers),
- the LGBTIQ* Coordination Centre of the City of Munich,
- the queer Ukrainian initiative group Kwitnequeer in Berlin. We have been cooperating for several years now with
- the lesbian choirs Lilamunde and
- Melodiva,
- the Lesbian Culture group LesKult,
- the mums from LesMamas,
- the fetish club MLC,
- the gay choir Philhomoniker as well as the
- Rainbow Choir. There is also
- Team Munich for sports. We get support from the
- Trans* Inter* Counselling,
- the trans organizations Trans-Ident,
- TransMann and
- Viva TS,
- Queeramnesty,
- the Queer Film Festival Munich,
- the members of Queergottesdienst,
- the Queer Network Bavaria,
- the Rainbow Family Centre as well as from
- VelsPol Süd that represents LGBTIQ* in the police. Lots of people!
The main organizations involved in Kyiv are KyivPride, Fulcrum / Tochka Opori and their parents’ initiative Tergo, Alliance Global, Gay Alliance Ukraine as well as their Queer Homes, Gay Forum Ukraine, Insight, Nash Svit.
But, we also work with regional NGOs like Liga in Mykolaiv, the women*s network Sphere in Kharkiv, “You are not alone” in Zhytomyr and Gender Z in Zaporizhzhia.
Munich and KyivPride have agreed to their own cooperation. We maintain close contact with the Prides in Odesa and Kharkiv.