The Ministry of Defense did not support the draft law on the registration of same-sex partnerships: what human rights activists say
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The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine did not support the draft law on the institution of equal partnerships, which would allow, in particular, to register same-sex marriages. The department noted that the draft law contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine, which states that marriage is based on the free consent of a man and a woman. The draft law provides that if one of those willing to register a partnership is a military man and cannot be present at the registration, it can be done without his presence. The Ministry of Defense believes that this rule is discriminatory against military personnel who enter into traditional marriages. Gay military couple Pavlo and Vladyslav. Photo: “Military LGBT+” The draft law also proposes to certify acts of registration of registered partnerships to commanders, if one or both partners serve in the Armed Forces. The Ministry of Defense says that this contradicts the Law “On the Statute of the Internal Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”. In addition, the Ministry of Defense does not have data on the number of LGBT representatives in the army. The “Military LGBT+” organization expressed concern over “the Ministry of Defense’s support for discrimination against LGBT+ military personnel in Ukraine.” “Our association has more than 300 LGBT+ military personnel, among them about 100 are open in their own identity. Some of them have been protecting Ukraine on the battlefield since 2014. There are about 20 couples in our community where both partners are military personnel. There are many couples where one of the partners is a civilian,” the organization says. NGO representatives believe that there are significantly more LGBT representatives in the army – from 50 to 100 thousand. Answering the question of “UP. Life”, where did this figure come from, the organization noted that, according to surveys, 5-10% of people in Ukrainian society are LGBT representatives. “The structure of the Armed Forces is not an exception, because it is a cross-section of Ukrainian society. Currently, about 1 million people serve in the Armed Forces and NGUs. This means that approximately 50 to 100 thousand people who protect our land belong to LGBT+ and need protection”, – say in the organization. According to a survey conducted by American researchers in the 1970s, 10% of the world’s population are gay or lesbian. However, not everyone perceives these data unambiguously. The organization also said that gay soldiers are often persecuted for their orientation. “The mother of one of our gay soldiers, Pavlo Lagoida, recently threatened to burn down the house because her son is an LGBT+ representative and a soldier. We believe that such a person has no place in the Armed Forces of a European democratic state. Pavlo serves together with his partner Vladyslav, who is also a military man. They recently got engaged, because they understand all the risks: war can harm the health of one of the couple,” the organization says. Representatives of the organization invited Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov to a joint meeting to discuss the draft law on registration of partnerships. The “Kyivpride” organization points out that the draft law does not equate a registered partnership with a marriage, because it states that a registered partnership is not a marriage. In addition, the draft law allows both same-sex and heterosexual couples to form a partnership without the presence of one of the partners. “All military personnel, regardless of sex, sexual or gender identity, have the right to respect and equality before the law. The policy of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which reduces the rights and opportunities of LGBTIQ+ military personnel, is unacceptable and violates international standards. We call on the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to review its policy regarding this draft law,” the organization says. It will be recalled that People’s Deputy Inna Sovsun submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law on civil partnerships that would allow same-sex marriages to be registered. The Parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sports supported this draft law and recommended it for adoption by the Verkhovna Rada in the first reading. Read also: “I will marry a gay soldier”: a Ukrainian woman announced her marriage to help a friend
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