LGBT rights in Ukraine
| LGBT rights in Ukraine | |
|---|---|
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|
|
| Same-sex sexual activity legal? | Legal since 1991 |
| Gender identity/expression | Sex reassignment surgery is allowed |
| Military service | Gays, lesbians and bisexuals allowed to serve |
| Discrimination protections | Sexual orientation and gender identity protections in employment (see below) |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships |
No recognition of same-sex relationships. |
|
Restrictions:
|
Same-sex marriage constitutionally banned. |
| Adoption | Single people who are citizens of Ukraine are allowed to adopt |
in Europe (dark grey) – [Legend]
Lesbian, gay, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Ukraine may experience different social attitudes and public policies than heterosexual persons or persons who have a more conventional gender identity. Noncommercial, same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults in private is legal in Ukraine, but prevailing social attitudes are often described as being intolerant of LGBT people and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for any of the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. In a 2010 European study, 28% of Ukrainians polled believed that LGBT individuals should live freely and however they like.
As part of the Soviet Union, the Criminal Code banned same-sex sexuality. In 1991, the law was revised so as to better protect the right to privacy. Today, the law only concerns itself with same-sex sexuality activity when it involves prostitution, persons under the legal age of consent or non-voluntary behavior or public conduct that is deemed to be in violation of public decency standards. The age of consent is 16, regardless of sexual orientation or gender.
Transgenderism was generally associated with homosexuality and thus prohibited. In 1992, the national Government revised its laws regarding gender identity to allow for, under medical approval, gender reassignment surgery and new personal identification.
Article 51 of the Constitution specifically defines marriage as a voluntary union between a man and a woman. No legal recognition exists for same-sex marriage, nor is there any sort of more limited recognition for same-sex couples.
On 23 November 2015, the Government approved an action plan to implement the National Strategy on human rights in the period up to 2020, which include the promise to draft a bill creating registered civil partnerships for opposite-sex and same-sex couples by 2017, among others.
After having failed to gain enough votes on 5 and 9 November 2015, the Ukrainian Parliament approved an anti-discrimination law banning sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination at work on 12 November 2015. A similar law (that law would have barred employers from rejecting workers based on their sexual orientation) was indefinitely postponed on 14 May 2013. The law passed on 12 November 2015 was an EU requirement for Ukraine to move forward in its application for visa-free travel to the Schengen Area. Before the vote of this bill Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Groysman strongly spoke out against same-sex marriage.
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Wikipedia