Dear friends, allies, and fellow queer Ukrainians,
First, let us congratulate all of us on the launch of the KyivPride Month — the largest pride event in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Celebrating our pride is especially vital during the pandemic that puts extra pressure on the marginalized lives and trumps our ability to stay visible. Follow the Pride’s schedule on our social media platforms, join us in this celebration — of course, while following healthcare regulations to keep everyone safe.
We would also like to express our gratitude to 12 European embassies, the UN, Canada, and the Canadian Police Mission to Ukraine for endorsing this year’s KyivPride in a strong, public show of solidarity for equal rights for all Ukrainians. Let’s write another historic chapter for Ukrainian democracy together.
Taking this opportunity, we would like to share some important news with all of you. The KyivPride is a transparent, civil society organization on a mission to serve the Ukrainian society, so we feel obligated to bring some light to transformations within it.
As we previously announced, our KyivPride family is in the active recruitment process for new leadership after our fantastic head Ruslana Panukhnyk has decided to, unfortunately, step down due to personal matters. We launched an open call a couple of months ago for a new director. The appointment of the organizational leadership happens in a concerted effort by the members of our Managing Board and NGO.
The process of finding a replacement has not been easy due to obstacles created by the pandemic, including increased security risks for both the organization and openly queer Ukrainians in general. So after careful review of all applied candidates and multiple rounds of interviews, both the Managing Board and NGO weren’t entirely satisfied with the available choices and unanimously decided to continue the search for a new KyivPride director.
What does it mean? First, this process is not affecting any of the KyivPride activities. Our team and our extended KyivPride family keep working hard to ensure that the Pride Month is a success. Second, we will be appointing an acting director in October to bridge the transitional period until we find the best possible candidate to serve as a KyivPride head. Third, we extend our job application call for the KyivPride director position. Please help us share and amplify it with friends and your social media networks. It takes a village.
Both NGO and the Managing Board are excited about the changes that await KyivPride in the coming months. We understand the responsibility, too. KyivPride has developed into one of the largest and most influential civil society organizations in Ukraine and Eastern Europe in recent years. It remains a crucial anchor not only for our fellow Ukrainian LGBTI+ community but integral in the struggle of Ukrainians to make Ukraine a progressive, just, and leading member of the European family of states.
We’ll be back with more updates.
Meanwhile, Happy Pride!
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