VISIBILITY

Amsterdam WorldPride 2026

The WorldPride Human Rights Conference is one of WorldPride’s key international human rights events. The conference brought together approximately 1,000 participants. The program included 72 thematic sessions across eight main areas, focusing on human rights, health, culture, political leadership, the development of the Pride movement, and other topics.

KyivPride was represented at the conference by project manager Yulia Shipitko and board chair Anna Sharygina. We organized the Ukrainian pavilion at the conference, dedicated to the Pride movement in Ukraine amid a full-scale war.

The march served as the grand finale of WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 and brought together thousands of participants and international delegations in support of the rights, visibility, and solidarity with LGBTIQ+ people around the world.

MunichPride 2026

We were invited to Munich by the Munich Kyiv Queer Superhero Cats.

Together with representatives from other Ukrainian LGBTIQ+ organizations, we spent about a week in the city: we met with the mayor, visited the main queer landmarks, got to know Munich-based organizations, and attended Pride.

A highlight was our visit to the Forum Queeres Archiv Munich, as the issues of memorialization and preserving memory remain extremely important for Ukraine. Of course, we couldn’t attend mass events without taking the opportunity to draw attention to our war. We spoke on the main Pride stage during the “Commemoration of queer war victims in Ukraine” shoutout and were speakers at the Munich-Ukrainian Picnic Talk.

ColognePride 2026

In Cologne, we had the opportunity to meet with the Pride team and attend a reception at City Hall. We learned about how partners are involved in Cologne Pride, the local history of Pride, and the challenges it faces today; and at City Hall, we listened to performances by queer choirs and had the chance to meet the mayor in person.

We went to the Dyke March, and the next day was Cologne Pride. We were able to join the first contingent, carrying our own banner.

BerlinPride 2026

We joined the march in Berlin at the invitation of the Ukrainian-German organization Kwitne Queer and were part of the Ukrainian contingent. The overall slogan of this year’s Pride was “Taking a Stand Is Sexy” (“Haltung ist hot”).

This march was supposed to be just one part of the overall program, but the other events were canceled due to the tragedy. At the end of the march, a car drove into the crowd at high speed. One person was killed and 29 people were injured.

Experience exchange in Estonia

In Tallinn (Estonia), we had a unique opportunity to speak with the Equality Commissioner, members of parliament, ministers, and human rights defenders. During our visit, we exchanged experiences regarding marriage equality, as Estonia was one of the first post-Soviet countries to introduce marriage equality.

We shared our experiences of how support from the government and the civil society sector can transform the lives of communities. In addition, our Estonian partners organized an exhibition titled “Visible in Death, Invisible in Life,” which honors LGBTIQ+ service members who died during the war, as well as a public discussion about community life during the conflict.

EPOA conference

At events like these, we, as Ukrainians, have a platform to reiterate that Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine is still ongoing. As activists, we draw on the experiences of other countries and share our own.

Our main message remains unchanged: the central issue facing Ukrainian Pride events is the war. In the conference hall, we displayed portraits and stories of fallen LGBTIQ+ service members. Before the presentation began, we observed a minute of silence to honor all those who gave their lives for our freedom and all those who will never again be able to march in Pride with us.

ILGA UNSTOPPABLE seminar

The Pride Organizers Summit 2025 was held in Ljubljana (Slovenia), where participants jointly explored the current challenges facing the Pride movement in Europe and discussed the role of Pride events in strengthening democratic participation and shaping political priorities.

They exchanged tools for engaging and mobilizing communities, worked on organizational principles in times of instability, and developed ideas for future joint projects.

Yulia Shipitko, program manager at KyivPride, shared insights into Ukrainian Pride events and drew participants’ attention to the specific challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ people in Ukraine due to russia’s military aggression.

International exhibition EXPO 2025

In the Ukrainian pavilion, the creative agency Bickerstaff.734 presented the installation “Not For Sale”—a store where you can’t buy anything. It was seen by over three million people.

At the entrance, visitors received a scanner they could use to read tags, much like product labels. Each code revealed a story from Ukraine, representing a specific value of a democratic society.

One of them was a megaphone, symbolizing the right to self-expression. It is an indispensable attribute at Pride events.

IGLYO Proud Pupils LGBTQ I Inclusive Education Conference 2025

Yulia Shipitko, program manager at KyivPride, gave a presentation on inclusive education in Ukraine. During her speech, Yulia talked about our joint project with the Projector Institute, through which we offered free courses to the community.

Yulia gave a comprehensive presentation on life in Ukraine today, including the impact of the war on education, the state of LGBTIQ+ rights, and the state of inclusive education.

Our main message: the biggest obstacle to inclusive education is the war.

Munich Pride 2025

In Munich, we had the opportunity to speak directly with representatives of the local government. Upon arrival, our volunteer Taya Bondarenko went to a meeting at City Hall, where she took a tour and spoke with the team.

KyivPride joined the Ukrainian contingent organized by Munich Kyiv Queer. The Ukrainian contingent marched through Munich, reiterating the message: “No peace without justice for Ukraine.”

EuroPride 2025 Conference and Parade in Portugal

Together with representatives from Poland, Georgia, Turkey, and Hungary, Vira Chernigina, a member of the organization’s board, participated in a panel discussion on “Successful Activism in the Face of Repression,” presenting two main points:

1. Our rights are more relevant now than ever:

“Before the full-scale invasion, no one could prove that marriage was important to LGBTIQ+ people. But now it’s becoming clear that there’s a risk to the lives of people who serve their country—even as they lack equal rights and continue to face discrimination.”

2. Ukraine deserves to join the European Union:

“Joining the EU and Ukraine fulfilling its obligations are part of this year’s KyivPride agenda. And this is important to us. Right now, even during the war, the number of conservative, aggressively minded people is decreasing. We work all year round to highlight these changes. And we hope that next year’s Pride will be even more visible.”