Gay Guide Ukraine

The age of consent for heterosexuals and homosexuals is 16 years. Ukraine is the second largest Eastern European country after Russia in terms of area and was the first former Soviet republic to legalise sex between adult men. However, same-sex partnerships do not enjoy any legal recognition here. Since 2014 there has at least been anti-discrimination protection, after the European Union repeatedly threatened that otherwise facilitation of entry - visa-free travel - would not be implemented. Since the Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia, Russian law prevails there. Kiev Pride in 2018 was the fifth - with 5000 people more participants than ever before. The parade was also without incidents, unlike in previous years. In 2015, two police officers were injured at Kiev Pride by an angry mob throwing stones and smoke bombs at parade participants and the police. After running only 20 meters, the parade was attacked. Kiev's oldest cinema burned down almost completely in October 2015 when an arson attack took place while a film with a gay theme was shown. Ukraine is nevertheless an extremely hospitable country with friendly, warm-hearted people. As long as they have patience and discretion, gay and lesbian tourists in Ukraine will discover an interesting, unique and beautiful country. The biggest gay scenes can be found in the cities of Kiev, Lviv, Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Kharkiv.