PC: Gay Alliance Ukraine

Ross Murray, GLAAD’s Director of Programs, Global and US South, recently conducted a two hour media training with over 20 regional LGBT advocates connected to the Gay Alliance Ukraine. The training was to help prepare the advocates to speak about upcoming Ukrainian Pride events in Odessa and Kyiv. Ross presented research based strategies for LGBT advocates to, most effectively and accessibly, use the media as a tool for advocating for the LGBT community. The main topics of the training included how to identify the primary audience, creating effective messages resonates with that audience, and practicing the techniques before facing the public. The training was held over Google Hangout.

Formed in 2009, the Gay Alliance Ukraine is the leader of the LGBT movement in Ukraine. It has already successfully implemented national wide projects such as counteracting homophobia through media campaigns, HIV/AIDS prevention programs, publishing their own newspaper and continuously organizing events to raise awareness towards LGBT issues. The training that GLAAD led was part of a longer conference to plan and prepare to speak about the LGBT community in Ukraine, as well as the pride event. At the same conference, advocates created a series of videos on the Gay Alliance Ukraine YouTube channel that promotes the upcoming pride events and urging the public to join their cause.

The fight for LGBT equality in Ukrainian is starting to gain national attention. GLAAD’S training followed after an LGBT festival in the Ukrainian city of Lviv was shut down by 200 members of a far right group in March of this year. According to a Pew Research poll conducted in 2013, it is found that only 28% of Ukrainians believe that gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own lives as they wish. GLAAD’s collaboration with Gay Alliance Ukrainian is a continued effort to accelerate acceptance across the world. Check out the series of video they released below.

Odessa Pride

Kyiv Pride

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia

16 days against gender violence

International Human Rights Day

Kyiv Pride

GLAAD extends its thanks to Google and The Louis L. Borick Foundation for generously underwriting the Global Voices initiative.