President Volodymyr Zelensky urges Ukraine to normalise LGBTQ+ topics
“I believe we need to speak openly with society about everything, and that is absolutely normal," said Zelensky
By Aaron Sugg
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made a rare statement about LGBTQ+ rights at a cultural event in Kyiv yesterday (11 June).
Zelensky called for people in Ukraine to normalise LGBTQ+ topics during a presentation of Tysiachovesna, after the head of the NGO LGBT Military for Equal Rights and an Azovstal defender raised the issue.
Oleksandr Demenko asked whether Ukraine needs cultural products that help “normalise LGBT people and issues” and increase public tolerance.
“I believe we need to speak openly” – Volodymyr Zelensky on normalising LGBTQ+ discussions in Ukraine
Zelensky replied: “I believe we need to speak openly with society about everything, and that is absolutely normal.”
“We are all here with you, we are defending the state, we are equal and we have absolutely equal rights – regardless of any, I don’t know, prejudices of people from the 15th century. You and I are modern people,” he continued.
Zelensky suggested discussions about LGBTQ+ tolerance should focus less on younger people and more on older generations.
Zelensky said “we should speak not only with our children” but adults too
“I believe we should speak not only with our children, because our children are much cooler than our generation,” Zelensky added.
In recent years, Ukraine has seen a rise in LGBTQ+ rights and visibility. Following its application to join the EU, the country has made efforts to strengthen equality under Zelensky’s government.
Under Ukrainian law, homosexuality is legal, and there are protections for LGBTQ+ people against discrimination in and out of the workplace.
Ukraine recognises same-sex couples as “de facto family”
In 2025, a Kyiv district court made history by legally recognising a same-sex couple as a “de facto family”, setting a judicial precedent.
Following this, in 2026, Ukraine’s Supreme Court upheld the landmark ruling, officially recognising same-sex couples as “de facto families”.
However, a draft bill proposing a new Civil Code in Ukraine would replace the current Civil Code and Family Code with one new law, potentially rolling back the Supreme Court ruling.
Same-sex marriage is not recognised in Ukraine
The bill, brought forward by Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, could remove or weaken legal recognition of same-sex couples, including some existing court protections.
Despite this, same-sex marriage is not legal in Ukraine. The country’s Constitution defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. A draft bill remains stalled in parliament.