Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces on February 24, LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine have been among the country’s fiercest defenders and organizers, while also being among its most marginalized citizens. The We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund is raising monies for six non-governmental organizations in Ukraine that are serving the immediate needs of queer people – particularly those who have remained in the country.
The We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund is currently focused on Ukrainian NGOs on the ground. By virtue of being in direct contact with their community members, these organizations are particularly capable of agile and timely responses to individual crises.
These NGOs and their activists are:
- Establishing and sustaining LGBTQ+ safe shelters in numerous Ukrainian cities;
- Assisting with the essential needs of LGBTQ+ people including food, hygienic products and medications such as anti-retroviral therapies for those living with HIV and hormone replacement therapies for trans individuals;
- Coordinating the safe relocation and rehousing of internally displaced LGBTQ+ Ukrainians;
- Providing assistance to/advocating for trans and non-binary individuals navigating Ukraine’s martial law;
- Providing legal support, psychological support and counselling.
The six NGOs that are currently beneficiaries of the fund are:
1. Gender Zed: based in the southeastern city of Zaporizhia, this NGO is currently focused on meeting the essential needs of its community members and coordinating relocation for LGBTQ+ folks who are internally displaced. genderz.org.ua
2. Kyiv Pride: has been a leading voice in the information war, has been meeting essential needs of community members, and has recently opened a shelter for LGBTQ+ folks in Kyiv. kyivpride.org
3. NGO WA Sphere: based in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, this organization’s focus during wartime is meeting essential needs of community members, providing psychological support to LGBTQ+ folks and women, and facilitating relocation and shelter of those in unsafe areas. sphere.org.ua
4. Cohort NGO: has been specifically addressing the needs of trans individuals in Ukraine
including securing hormone replacement therapies for community members, partnering with trans-friendly shelters in western Ukraine, and coordinating safe passage for trans and non-binary Ukrainians. cohort.com.ua
5. Fulcrum NGO: has been running several safe shelters for LGBTQ+ folks, has been coordinating income, legal and psychological support for queer Ukrainians. www.t-o.org.ua
6. Insight NGO: has been running 3 shelters for the internally displaced LGBTQ folks along with providing critical medications, psychological and legal support. insight-ukraine.org
LIGA: a long-established LGBTQ+ NGO in Ukraine, LIGA has been providing social supports, humanitarian aid, and HIV/STI health services in multiple centres across the country.
An avid proponent of social justice and education, entrepreneur James Burn matched the first $10,000 CAD raised by this fund, dollar-for-dollar.* Within 5 days of the fund’s inception this goal was reached. Community leaders Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex then matched the next $10,000 CAD in donations. Now, the generous Linton Family is doubling the next $10,000 CAD raised. The fund plans to have a rolling group of matching donors so as to double the impact of all gifts.
For more information about the fund, please contact its administrator Andrew Kushnir at lgbtqukrainefund@gmail.com
Profound thanks to everyone contributing to this fund. You are making a difference.
Hoping our collective efforts on behalf of LGBT+ Ukranians can offer some hope despite such desperate circumstances.
Slava Ukraini!
Support needed for LGBTQ community everywhere.
This is crucial, necessary upport
Happy to donate
Thank you so much for fighting the good fight! Bless xx jane
As horrible as it is for the people of the Ukraine, it must be so much worse for those individuals who, for whatever the reason, are marginalized.
Please be safe. May love and light follow you.
Thanks to The PepTides for sharing this fund. Happy to support.
I am making this donation on behalf of the Ottawa band The PepTides and their generous fans who came together to show love and support and raise this money at a concert on April 23rd.
Slava Ukraini!
Thank you, The PepTides! This means so much to the fund, and to those doing heroic work on the ground in Ukraine.
Please be safe.
Stay strong, our hearts are with you.
I’m donating to this fund because I believe that these folks are trying so hard to help all Ukrainians and they aren’t getting the donors that other organizations get. I pray you all will soon be free and be able to have the Ukraine you love once again.
i just wanted to help with what I can for all people, this war is no fault of all Ukrainian. I had been sadden since the war broke out there, I hope soon the war will end for them.
In complete support of you and your leadership, Andrew,
Thank you so much for coordinating this! x
prayers up, tobacco down. much love.
Thanks to the organizers and donation-matchers!
This Mother’s Day, adhering to the day’s origins as a day to seek peace and justice, our family makes this contribution in honour of our mother and grandmother, Phyllis.
Enormous respect and awe for your strength and resilience.
Thank you for organizing.
In solidarity with LGBTQ+ folks in Ukraine.
This donation is on behalf of the creative and technical team of the theatre production “Alina” happening in Edmonton, Canada.
💛💜💙❤️
Giving today in honour of the start of Pride Month.
In honour of Pride Month and ongoing care for the global human family, we make this donation on behalf of the cast and crew of the Stratford Festival’s production of Hamlet which opens tonight, holding hope of peace, art, safety, free expression and love in our hearts.
An honour to support this initiative.
This donation is in honour of DAVID LATHAM.
For Andrew Kushnir
Much love from queer ukrainian in nyc, slava ukraina!
I hope all Ukrainian youth have a safe place to grow.
Everyone deserves a safe haven within reach. Please put this towards one.
We all go back in time if we let russia win
With Love from San Francisco.
Wishing peace and safety to our Ukrainian friends in these difficult times.
Thanks to Andrew Kushnir for participating in and promoting all these fundraising projects.
We stand with you Ukraine 🇺🇦♥️🧡💛💚💙💜🇺🇦
Thank you for this exceptional program. I’ve donated via other routes and hoped to find one for LG++ citizens. and here you are. much thanks
Hope all the hard work of LGBTQ organizations in Ukraine helps queer people to feel more safe and accepted. With love to Ukraine 🇺🇦
Together we will all win.
much love <3
In honor of my gay friend who writes Ukrainian pysanky and in support of the LGBTQ+ folks in Ukraine
Hi , I am a refugee to Canada and a long term support er of the Rainbow Railroad, and the HIV Legal Network both of which work in and around Ukraine. I also host short term refugees arriving in Canada fro a variety of dangerous places around the world. Locally i support annual Match Challenges to the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Society and the Intercultural Association.
The HIV Legal Network for a number of years helped produce Pride Montego Bay. Kimahli Powell who was then at the HIV Legal Network and I were down there in +/- 2017. It is an ugly country with some nice people
Don’t let anyone or anything dim your shine. Stay strong!
Слава Україні! Героям Слава!
On behalf of my grandsons birthday, Connor Moen
In solidarity
Donations from the Seattle LGBTQIA community.
Supporting your amazing resiliency in the face of devastating obstacles.
I heard about your fund during pride while I was in Toronto. We had a patio pride party in Vancouver in August to raise funds for your charity and Rainbow Railroad. We got our friends drunk and they donated $2400 to split between rainbow railroad and you guys. They were very excited to be supporting this cause. Thanks for all you do!
Thank you for doing this important work.
Donating because Russia should never have invaded Ukraine and they must leave. Also, LGBTQ+ Peoples globally need support but especially in times of war and displacement. Thank you for the work you do to support LGBTQ+ folx.
This donation is in honour and in the name of Adrian and Adria Pruchnicky.
This donation is done in the name of Stepan Pruchnicky and Andrea Massarella
This donation is done in the name of Ostap and Linda Pruchnicky
This donation is done with love from Olexandra Pruchnicky and Jasper Gahunia
As parents of a gay daughter, we want to support all Ukrainians during this crisis but especially marginalized citizens.
From the audience of Chekhov’s Shorts.
We are all one big family – human!
We need to support each other, when needed, regardless of any perceived “differences”.
May this war in Ukraine end Now!!!
The power of many, together.
Let us not waver.
These funds were generated from the sale of my “pride pysanky”. http://www.ukrainianchicken.ca
Donation from The Division Cast
Landon, Tom, Ali, Nathan, Kiara-Kumail, Jaelynn, Ella, Elena, Avery, Manon + crew
Tonight begins the festival of Channukah and our family makes this contribution in honour of the first of eight candles we will light. The first candle brings the blessing of light. We light this candle in solidarity with those who are Not Afraid of the Dark.
Love and peace to all!
donating because of the encouragement of the Forte Toronto’s Gay Men’s Choir
I believe in this cause!
I myself am a sexual minority refugee from the trending homophobic USA. I met a young couple who are Afghan refugees at a Rainbow Railroad event in Toronto last June. Early this month I met 4 Afghan refugees who were brought to Canada via Rainbow Railroad. My $50,000 annual Match Challenge there has helped this years class of Afghan refugees come to safety in Canada. Although you appear to have a Match Challenge under way, I ask that another donor match this $500 which is for any contribution that I make for $500 or more. The 4 Afghanis I met are being helped with their resettlement in Metro Vancouver by Rainbow Refugee. One of these people had come through Peshawar enroute to Canada. I spent a few days in Peshawar in February 1987 while waiting for a friend to arrive so we could do some trekking in Swat . The manager of my hotel took my on an afternoon drive… to Afghanistan. WE drove through the Khyber pass to a small town called….Bazaar, which is known for selling armaments from small Derringer pistols to shoulder mounted Rocket Launchers!!. One the way back to Peshawar, I noticed a long 2m fence. My escort said behind it was an Afghan refugee camp.. another time; another war
Thank you Andrew for this amazing work!
I am around to support the LGBTQ Ukraine Fund. I am inspired by the incredible strength and determination of LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine!!!!
Thanks for sharing this work with us Andrew.
Thank you for helping people displaced by Putin and Russia’s war on Ukraine
A year has gone by. This horrific Anniversary. Sending
Sending thoughts and prayers and support.
Please keep up all your incredible work fighting to protect LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine. Organizations like Insight NGO are an inspiration for us all!!
We were inspired by the play First Métis Man of Odessa
Our spring garage sale raised $350! Lots of neighbours threw in extra dollars to show their support and a few Ukrainian Canadians who happened by were thankful too! All round a great day. Keep up your important work…there are brighter days ahead!!!
Zirkova Vodka donation to KyivPride Ukraine – we honour you and the important work that you do
This donation is from the scenic and props team for the play “Yaga” at the Belfry Theatre in Victoria, Canada.
Marissa Mcclymont
Peter Pokorny
Dale Pudwell
Jeremy MacLeod
Carole Klemm
Each year we throw a pride patio party and collect donations from friends that attend. This year we raised more than last year! It is small but we know every little bit helps.
Great cause. You are helping a group that would otherwise be easily forgotten.
To help keep our most vulnerable populations safe during times of conflict and for my dear brother Michael Young who was a proud gay man.
I hope this can help people feel safe to be themselves.
Slava Ukraini!
On behalf of Crow’s Theatre and the cast and creative team of Bad Roads
So grateful for the work you do.
Thank you so much for the work you do!
This is a specific and targeted need, i am so pleased to be able to help my brethren.
Thank you for keeping us awake to this humanitarian need.
Слава Україні!!!!
This donation is in honour of Gregory Prest and Paolo Santalucia’s wedding day.
This donation is made in memory of Elsie Stella Ellison (Formanec).