Queer history of Ukraine. A timeline
Started in 2022
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In 2014, Carlos Alejandro Motta created his work "Brief History of Homosexual Repression in Ukraine" as part of the Future Generation Art Prize 2014 exhibition in Kyiv's PinchukArtCentre. In it, with the help of several Ukrainian LGBTQ+ activists, he documented important historical dates for the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ community. After the show, Motta did not revisit the chronology of Ukrainian queer history. I completed it by filling in the gaps and adding new dates.
Mota's work primarly draws on historical dates related to repression, resistance, and the birth of LGBTQ activism in Ukraine, while some dates related to queer culture were not mentioned. In addition, the original version of the timeline stopped at the events of 2014, while the Ukrainian queer scene began to develop dynamically after the events of the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. The revolution also gave impetus to new activist queer practices.
Timeline is updated every year. Check the latest update (February 2023) here.
Published in:
A Very Brief and Subjective Queer History of Ukraine
DIK Fagazine #13
Installation shot from Catalyst Arts, Belfast:
Installation shot from Foam Museum, Amsterdam:
Designed by Studio Pieter Jan Boeterhoek