ZMINA and the “Someone Loves Someone” project of Hromadske Radio held an Evening of Love and Equality in Kyiv

On 13 February, on the eve of Valentine’s Day, Kyiv hosted an Evening of Love and Equality — a queer event organised by the Hromadske Radio project “Someone Loves Someone” in collaboration with the Human Rights Centre ZMINA. The event brought together LGBTIQ+ people and their allies in a safe space where they could openly talk about love, support, and equality.

Before the start of the event, Tetiana Pechonchyk, Head of the Board of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, gave a welcoming speech.

“Love is for everyone. Love has no boundaries or limitations“, she emphasised as she opened the evening.

These words set the tone for the entire event — a conversation about visibility, acceptance, and the right to be yourself without fear.

Photo: Tetiana Pechonchyk

This was followed by a live recording of the final episode of the second season of the show “Someone Loves Someone”. The guest of the conversation was singer and music producer Nastia Okolytsia, who openly speaks in her work about a woman’s love for another woman.

“If I sang about a man’s love for a woman, I might be more famous, because it would be “more understandable” and fit in with generally accepted norms“, she shared during the discussion.

The project’s host, Ana More, noted that even during registration for the evening of love and equality, she noticed how many people were coming to the event in pairs — women with women, men with men: “I was very happy to see my gay friends and lesbian friends kissing, hugging, and holding hands on the eve of Valentine’s Day without feeling afraid“.

Photo: Ana More, Nastia Okolytsia

At the same time, according to the host, the sense of safety for many LGBTIQ+ people in Ukraine remains fragile.

“We often hear that holding hands is a political statement. And every time it is a choice“, said Ana More.

Despite the war, the growing influence of anti-gender and anti-LGBT movements, and informational pressure, the event became for many a space for recovery. One of the guests told the organisers that she was able to relax and feel as if it were “a party after Pride in Kharkiv in 2021, before the full-scale invasion”.

During the evening, participants also spoke about the importance of live communication — not only online content, but also each other’s physical presence.

After the public recording of the podcast, the evening continued with a musical performance by Tucha, a singer and ally of the community. Her set became the emotional culmination of the event — energetic, dynamic, and life-affirming. The audience sang along and danced, and the lyrics of one of the songs sounded particularly symbolic in the context of the evening: “Who gave you the right to take my right away from me”. This performance was not only the musical part of the programme, but also a powerful reminder of the dignity, freedom and right of every person to love.

Photo: Tucha (tucha_x)

The evening of love and equality marked the end of the second season of “Someone Loves Someone,” but the team hopes that the project will continue and develop further with the support of partners.

The new episode, recorded during the event, will soon be available on the YouTube channel Hromadske Radio NextGen.