Hundreds of lesbian activists, artists, politicians, academics, from 40 countries meet in Kyiv from April 11 to 14, to change the world one month before the European elections.
EL*C (European and Central Asian Lesbian Conference) is the biggest network of lesbian activists in Europe and Central Asia. Its board of 25 members include all the major representives of lesbian leaders in this area. It was launched in 2017 and held its first conference in Vienna, in October 2017.
For its second conference, EL*C chose Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, as a location and scheduled those three days of gathering one month before the European elections. Our message to the world is clear: lesbians act everywhere where peace in endangered and when ultra-right movements hostile to women, lesbians and all minorities threaten to take power.
The well-being of lesbians in many European and Central Asian countries is under threat due to a lack of protection from political and institutional bodies. Lesbians have become targets of the so-called ‘anti-gender movements’ throughout the region and the rise of lesbophobia is evident in numerous political debates, such as the discussion on the legalisation of medically assisted procreation for lesbians.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CONFERENCE co-organised by EL*C and INSIGHT, main Ukrainian LGBT organization
– The conference opened by Monica Benicio, coming specially for the occasion from Brazil. She is the partner of the LBGT activist Marielle Franco who was murdered in the streets of Rio in March 2018. Monica Benicio is a major actor in the fight against Jair Bolsonaro.
– The program include dozens of sessions with high profile discussions and speakers on politics, safety, lesbian lives, media coverage of lesbian issues, resources, art and sexuality. The detailed program is available here : https://europeanlesbianconference.org/program-new/
– An exclusive survey on the situation of lesbians in Europe and Central Asia will reveal statistics about experiences of lesbians* on different aspects, such as health, discrimination, decision-making & political participation, visibility and family
– A public action to put visibility and to vocalize lesbian* agenda. Lesbian allies will show solidarity in uniting our voice.(Please ask directly for specifics since we cannot give too much information because of provocations and counter demonstrations)
– Official launch of the biggest network of advocacy and visibility for lesbians in the world
More information about European Lesbian* Conference
Web: Europeanlesbianconference.org
Twitter: @eurolesbiancon
Facebook: European Lesbian Conference
What is EL*C?
The first European Lesbian* Conference (EL*C) took place in October 2017, in Vienna (Austria). Five hundred lesbian politicians, artists, journalists, academics gathered from all over Europe and Central Asia for a very successful, historical and mediatized event. “This first conference made it clear that there was a huge need for all European and Central Asian countries to pay more attention to the situation of lesbians, says Silvia Casalino, Chair of EL*C. And we heard the message from thousands of lesbians in Europe and Central Asia: they wanted a network and another conference to happen”.
The first EL*C launched a series of very positive steps for lesbians in Europe and Central Asia such as the first celebration of Lesbian Visibility Day in the European Parliament on 26th of April 2018, the representation of French lesbians at a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron on November 23 2018, the public expression of the anger of lesbians from Serbia on their terrible situation on January 2019.
Why in Ukraine?
The results of many European countries’ elections have, in the last few months, brought to power individuals and movements deeply dangerous for LGBT persons and women, which means specifically hostile to lesbians. To counter this trend and present another face of Europe, one month before the EU elections of 2019, the second European Lesbian* Conference will be held in Kyiv, Ukraine. “Ukraine, explains Olena Shevchenko, Ukrainian member of the EL*C board and CEO of Insight, is the best place to hold a conference in terms of geopolitical situation– it will give us a possibility to bring together West and East and to have a dialogue.”.
“Lesbians in Ukraine are invisible and the most vulnerable community, which suffers from stigma, sexual, domestic and reproductive violence and discrimination, adds Olena Shevchenko. The word “lesbian” is stigmatized and is a dirty word, so usually lesbians use the word “gay” which also invisibilizes the lesbian community and especially hinders lesbian needs. In such situation we think European lesbian conference will be a huge step forward in terms of visibility, vocalized needs of lesbians and community building in Ukraine”
The latest report including links to the dozens of media publications on EL*C: https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ELC-2017_Narrative_Report-1.pdf
————–
Hundreds of lesbian activists, artists, politicians, academics, from 40 countries meet in Kyiv from April 11 to 14, to change the world one month before the European elections.
EL*C (European and Central Asian Lesbian Conference) is the biggest network of lesbian activists in Europe and Central Asia. Its board of 25 members include all the major representives of lesbian leaders in this area. It was launched in 2017 and held its first conference in Vienna, in October 2017.
For its second conference, EL*C chose Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, as a location and scheduled those three days of gathering one month before the European elections. Our message to the world is clear: lesbians act everywhere where peace in endangered and when ultra-right movements hostile to women, lesbians and all minorities threaten to take power.
The well-being of lesbians in many European and Central Asian countries is under threat due to a lack of protection from political and institutional bodies. Lesbians have become targets of the so-called ‘anti-gender movements’ throughout the region and the rise of lesbophobia is evident in numerous political debates, such as the discussion on the legalisation of medically assisted procreation for lesbians.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CONFERENCE co-organised by EL*C and INSIGHT, main Ukrainian LGBT organization
– The conference opened by Monica Benicio, coming specially for the occasion from Brazil. She is the partner of the LBGT activist Marielle Franco who was murdered in the streets of Rio in March 2018. Monica Benicio is a major actor in the fight against Jair Bolsonaro.
– The program include dozens of sessions with high profile discussions and speakers on politics, safety, lesbian lives, media coverage of lesbian issues, resources, art and sexuality. The detailed program is available here : https://europeanlesbianconference.org/program-new/
– An exclusive survey on the situation of lesbians in Europe and Central Asia will reveal statistics about experiences of lesbians* on different aspects, such as health, discrimination, decision-making & political participation, visibility and family
– A public action to put visibility and to vocalize lesbian* agenda. Lesbian allies will show solidarity in uniting our voice.(Please ask directly for specifics since we cannot give too much information because of provocations and counter demonstrations)
– Official launch of the biggest network of advocacy and visibility for lesbians in the world
More information about European Lesbian* Conference
Web: Europeanlesbianconference.org
Twitter: @eurolesbiancon
Facebook: European Lesbian Conference
What is EL*C?
The first European Lesbian* Conference (EL*C) took place in October 2017, in Vienna (Austria). Five hundred lesbian politicians, artists, journalists, academics gathered from all over Europe and Central Asia for a very successful, historical and mediatized event. “This first conference made it clear that there was a huge need for all European and Central Asian countries to pay more attention to the situation of lesbians, says Silvia Casalino, Chair of EL*C. And we heard the message from thousands of lesbians in Europe and Central Asia: they wanted a network and another conference to happen”.
The first EL*C launched a series of very positive steps for lesbians in Europe and Central Asia such as the first celebration of Lesbian Visibility Day in the European Parliament on 26th of April 2018, the representation of French lesbians at a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron on November 23 2018, the public expression of the anger of lesbians from Serbia on their terrible situation on January 2019.
Why in Ukraine?
The results of many European countries’ elections have, in the last few months, brought to power individuals and movements deeply dangerous for LGBT persons and women, which means specifically hostile to lesbians. To counter this trend and present another face of Europe, one month before the EU elections of 2019, the second European Lesbian* Conference will be held in Kyiv, Ukraine. “Ukraine, explains Olena Shevchenko, Ukrainian member of the EL*C board and CEO of Insight, is the best place to hold a conference in terms of geopolitical situation– it will give us a possibility to bring together West and East and to have a dialogue.”.
“Lesbians in Ukraine are invisible and the most vulnerable community, which suffers from stigma, sexual, domestic and reproductive violence and discrimination, adds Olena Shevchenko. The word “lesbian” is stigmatized and is a dirty word, so usually lesbians use the word “gay” which also invisibilizes the lesbian community and especially hinders lesbian needs. In such situation we think European lesbian conference will be a huge step forward in terms of visibility, vocalized needs of lesbians and community building in Ukraine”
The latest report including links to the dozens of media publications on EL*C: https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ELC-2017_Narrative_Report-1.pdf
————–
EL*C has been following closely the lesbian Serbian news lately. As the lesbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and her partner were expecting a child, our Strategy Dykerector Dragana Todorovic gave several interviews to the media to explain how very peculiar this situation was.
The child is now born and this birth led to the burst of lesbophobic comments. One of the opposition leaders even said «The children are hungry in this country and the son of the Prime ministre can feed on four boobs». Lepa Mladjenovic, a legend of lesbian activism, sent us a text to react to this news. Her words on the situation of lesbian mothers and the lesbophobia in Serbia are very powerful. We thank her very much for sharing this with all of you, and wish you all a great reading.
«Every lesbian kiss is a revolution»
Some days ago one morning I woke up to the news on all the front pages – the Office of the Prime Minister of Serbia announces birth of a healthy baby boy of the (woman) partner of the Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. Brief two lines, no comments. Great, I thought, what a mess!I have heard rumors about pregnancy few months ago, but it could have passed as a Balkan joke. Now it’s a historical fact, nothing of a joke. Lets see what followed this extraordinary news.
The partner of the Prime Minister, herself a medical doctor employed in the Clinical Centre of Serbia in Belgrade became pregnant through artificial insemination, we were told, for which there is not yet legal right to obtain in Serbia. Further, not only that there is no legal way the Prime Minister of Serbia can be connected to the baby of her partner but there is not even the decision to put a draft of the same-sex partnership law on the government agenda, even though the activists of the Lesbian non-governmental organization Labris have drafted a law in 2010 and lobbied the parliament in 2014 with a campaign Love is a law. We must also understand the political context: the totalitarian leader, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić has chosen Ana Brnabić on this post himself, she is not elected nor voted for, and all she has to do is to repeat and participate in the leading nationalist, corrupted party program – which we feminists and most of lesbians oppose. So, Ana Brnabić put herself in a contradictory position in which she cannot lobby for the lesbian, gay and trans rights unless she gets permission from a ‘dictator‘ – the permission she did not get. In this context of power impasse the Prime Minister did the courageous act of her partner having a baby. What followed is that most of the LGBT community has immediately taken her accountable for the legal situation she cannot help herself, nor us, nor the newborn. Therefore, most of the feminists and LGBT community is angry at her for not using her political power to promote the basic legal rights for the same sex partnership and the right to parenthood. More so some of them are extra angry that she has a class privilege to have a baby in a legal vacuum, which many lesbians cannot, mostly because it is very expensive and because they fear for their children’s future in intense lesbophobic society.
This totally new situation lesbian mothers with a baby & the Serbian government made opposition leaders angry, so their anger on the government for the permanent corruption and politics of deceiving, for the total control of media and of all state institutions, for the poverty in the country, for nationalism, authoritarianism, and many other issues – they express through lesbophobic and mysoginic accusation on the Prime Minister herself and her lesbian family, calling her different names, like satanic creature, asking is she a daddy, humiliating her through jokes about stork delivered baby, about who’s going to do her work while she is on the inexistent parental leave, and many others like: In this country the children are hungry and the baby of Ana Brnabić is on four boobs! Social media is full of polemics.
To picture the chaos at the moment we have to say that the leading party of Serbia, which we feminists oppose, is therefore the only official voice which must not accuse the Prime Minister’s baby nor her partnership, by default. But, of course most of the politicians are lesbophobic and now is the moment for some of them to spit out their hatred. So, position & opposition politicians are accusing her, far right and religious organizations hate her, feminists and lesbians are angry on her, syndicates are angry on her and nevertheless the lesbian family of the Prime Minister is not in connection to these issues – the mysoginic and lesbophobic accusations and hate language come from all sides.
But legal issue is only part of the story of the difficult lesbian everyday lives. What is important is that some discussions are happening in the public about the same sex parenthood for the first time and the average people in the country are hearing facts of life they never imagined existed: Lesbian mothers! It is like a hammer in the head from which they have to defend themselves with intense hatred, or total silence. But, some people are talking… and in these few days we’ve heard what people think about the baby of the Prime Minister, and the answers are absolutely different, we cannot predict who will say baby is a baby we love all children… or who will start the brutal comment which cannot be digested. More so, apart from us few lesbian activists, nobody is using the term ‘lesbian’, it is almost the most hated word in our language (Serbo-Croat-Bosnian-Montenegrin language), not pronounced even by the enemies. The Prime Minister uses the term ‘gay’.
On the other hand, most of those who like to say that sexual orientation is a private issue, I don’t care who is she in bed with, are caught in the cul-de-sac. The child has to go to the kindergarten, to schools, health centers, and other institutions that have strict regulations of the parental rights. And not only this child, but many other children already living in lesbian families in this country. Nothing private there, but thousand obstacles for the other mother. All of what we knew when fifty years ago we feminists said private is political. The lesbian families already in our community are trying hard to invent creative answers how to overcome endless same questions about two moms, or invent impossible acts how to resolve the legal barriers in taking care of their children. We hope that the mere fact of the existence of the privileged lesbian mother in government will help increase positive attitude of the two moms social phenomenon at all. Some of us activists are using this momentum to talk.
On the other side are lesbians who live in dark silence, in poor communities, in small towns, in Roma settlements, isolated and alone and have all the lesbophobia around and inside themselves to fight every day – some of them are hiddenly smiling in their own privacy searching the internet news on ‘gay premier’, and thinking, At least someone has done it. Others feel cheated for the same reason, that Only privileged some can do it.
To summarize, in this particular situation the fact that Prime Minister is a lesbian and a lesbian mother is fused with the fact that she represents nationalist, corrupted, authoritarian politics. For some of us this means we decide to take in consideration the multiplities of political messages that one political personality represents at the same time. It is not the first time we have discussions among feminists about women in right-wing politics, when the researches showed: the conservative women politicians are still targets of sexual harassment and misogyny. This is exactly what we see now, lesbophobic accusations from left and right politics. We are witnessing again and again that ‘Lesbians are weak subjects’, with very little or no public support. It is precisely why some of us lesbian feminists say out loud that we are glad we have a lesbian mom in the government while we oppose the politics of that government.
TO GO FURTHER
To know more about Lepa Mladjenovic
EL*C has been following closely the lesbian Serbian news lately. As the lesbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and her partner were expecting a child, our Strategy Dykerector Dragana Todorovic gave several interviews to the media to explain how very peculiar this situation was.
The child is now born and this birth led to the burst of lesbophobic comments. One of the opposition leaders even said «The children are hungry in this country and the son of the Prime ministre can feed on four boobs». Lepa Mladjenovic, a legend of lesbian activism, sent us a text to react to this news. Her words on the situation of lesbian mothers and the lesbophobia in Serbia are very powerful. We thank her very much for sharing this with all of you, and wish you all a great reading.
«Every lesbian kiss is a revolution»
Some days ago one morning I woke up to the news on all the front pages – the Office of the Prime Minister of Serbia announces birth of a healthy baby boy of the (woman) partner of the Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. Brief two lines, no comments. Great, I thought, what a mess!I have heard rumors about pregnancy few months ago, but it could have passed as a Balkan joke. Now it’s a historical fact, nothing of a joke. Lets see what followed this extraordinary news.
The partner of the Prime Minister, herself a medical doctor employed in the Clinical Centre of Serbia in Belgrade became pregnant through artificial insemination, we were told, for which there is not yet legal right to obtain in Serbia. Further, not only that there is no legal way the Prime Minister of Serbia can be connected to the baby of her partner but there is not even the decision to put a draft of the same-sex partnership law on the government agenda, even though the activists of the Lesbian non-governmental organization Labris have drafted a law in 2010 and lobbied the parliament in 2014 with a campaign Love is a law. We must also understand the political context: the totalitarian leader, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić has chosen Ana Brnabić on this post himself, she is not elected nor voted for, and all she has to do is to repeat and participate in the leading nationalist, corrupted party program – which we feminists and most of lesbians oppose. So, Ana Brnabić put herself in a contradictory position in which she cannot lobby for the lesbian, gay and trans rights unless she gets permission from a ‘dictator‘ – the permission she did not get. In this context of power impasse the Prime Minister did the courageous act of her partner having a baby. What followed is that most of the LGBT community has immediately taken her accountable for the legal situation she cannot help herself, nor us, nor the newborn. Therefore, most of the feminists and LGBT community is angry at her for not using her political power to promote the basic legal rights for the same sex partnership and the right to parenthood. More so some of them are extra angry that she has a class privilege to have a baby in a legal vacuum, which many lesbians cannot, mostly because it is very expensive and because they fear for their children’s future in intense lesbophobic society.
This totally new situation lesbian mothers with a baby & the Serbian government made opposition leaders angry, so their anger on the government for the permanent corruption and politics of deceiving, for the total control of media and of all state institutions, for the poverty in the country, for nationalism, authoritarianism, and many other issues – they express through lesbophobic and mysoginic accusation on the Prime Minister herself and her lesbian family, calling her different names, like satanic creature, asking is she a daddy, humiliating her through jokes about stork delivered baby, about who’s going to do her work while she is on the inexistent parental leave, and many others like: In this country the children are hungry and the baby of Ana Brnabić is on four boobs! Social media is full of polemics.
To picture the chaos at the moment we have to say that the leading party of Serbia, which we feminists oppose, is therefore the only official voice which must not accuse the Prime Minister’s baby nor her partnership, by default. But, of course most of the politicians are lesbophobic and now is the moment for some of them to spit out their hatred. So, position & opposition politicians are accusing her, far right and religious organizations hate her, feminists and lesbians are angry on her, syndicates are angry on her and nevertheless the lesbian family of the Prime Minister is not in connection to these issues – the mysoginic and lesbophobic accusations and hate language come from all sides.
But legal issue is only part of the story of the difficult lesbian everyday lives. What is important is that some discussions are happening in the public about the same sex parenthood for the first time and the average people in the country are hearing facts of life they never imagined existed: Lesbian mothers! It is like a hammer in the head from which they have to defend themselves with intense hatred, or total silence. But, some people are talking… and in these few days we’ve heard what people think about the baby of the Prime Minister, and the answers are absolutely different, we cannot predict who will say baby is a baby we love all children… or who will start the brutal comment which cannot be digested. More so, apart from us few lesbian activists, nobody is using the term ‘lesbian’, it is almost the most hated word in our language (Serbo-Croat-Bosnian-Montenegrin language), not pronounced even by the enemies. The Prime Minister uses the term ‘gay’.
On the other hand, most of those who like to say that sexual orientation is a private issue, I don’t care who is she in bed with, are caught in the cul-de-sac. The child has to go to the kindergarten, to schools, health centers, and other institutions that have strict regulations of the parental rights. And not only this child, but many other children already living in lesbian families in this country. Nothing private there, but thousand obstacles for the other mother. All of what we knew when fifty years ago we feminists said private is political. The lesbian families already in our community are trying hard to invent creative answers how to overcome endless same questions about two moms, or invent impossible acts how to resolve the legal barriers in taking care of their children. We hope that the mere fact of the existence of the privileged lesbian mother in government will help increase positive attitude of the two moms social phenomenon at all. Some of us activists are using this momentum to talk.
On the other side are lesbians who live in dark silence, in poor communities, in small towns, in Roma settlements, isolated and alone and have all the lesbophobia around and inside themselves to fight every day – some of them are hiddenly smiling in their own privacy searching the internet news on ‘gay premier’, and thinking, At least someone has done it. Others feel cheated for the same reason, that Only privileged some can do it.
To summarize, in this particular situation the fact that Prime Minister is a lesbian and a lesbian mother is fused with the fact that she represents nationalist, corrupted, authoritarian politics. For some of us this means we decide to take in consideration the multiplities of political messages that one political personality represents at the same time. It is not the first time we have discussions among feminists about women in right-wing politics, when the researches showed: the conservative women politicians are still targets of sexual harassment and misogyny. This is exactly what we see now, lesbophobic accusations from left and right politics. We are witnessing again and again that ‘Lesbians are weak subjects’, with very little or no public support. It is precisely why some of us lesbian feminists say out loud that we are glad we have a lesbian mom in the government while we oppose the politics of that government.
TO GO FURTHER
To know more about Lepa Mladjenovic
Almost one year ago, Marielle Franco was brutally murdered in Brazil. Sociologist, feminist, politician and human rights activist, Marielle prioritised the rights of black women in her country. She is forever in our hearts. Since her murder, Monica Benicio, her partner, has been fighting to ask justice for Marielle. Monica Benicio will be the opening speaker of the European Lesbian* Conference in Kyiv, on April 12.
Почти год назад Мариэль Франку была убита в Бразилии. Она навсегда останется в наших сердцах. С момента убийства партнерка Мариэль, Моника Бенисиу, борется за то, чтобы добиться правосудия. Моника откроет Европейскую лесбийскую* конференцию 12 апреля в Киеве.
Almost one year ago, Marielle Franco was brutally murdered in Brazil. Sociologist, feminist, politician and human rights activist, Marielle prioritised the rights of black women in her country. She is forever in our hearts. Since her murder, Monica Benicio, her partner, has been fighting to ask justice for Marielle. Monica Benicio will be the opening speaker of the European Lesbian* Conference in Kyiv, on April 12.
Почти год назад Мариэль Франку была убита в Бразилии. Она навсегда останется в наших сердцах. С момента убийства партнерка Мариэль, Моника Бенисиу, борется за то, чтобы добиться правосудия. Моника откроет Европейскую лесбийскую* конференцию 12 апреля в Киеве.
EL*C Kyiv
12-14 April 2019
Background on Ukraine and Insight the EL*C host organization:
Ukraine is a huge country, which became an integral part of the Eurointegration process. Since the 2014 “Euromaidan” revolution, Ukraine has been going through a number of reforms and political and social changes.
LGBTQI issues in Ukraine are the one of the milestones, which show how the process of democratization is progressing.
“Insight” is a public organization, which has been conducting public events and international conferences since 2011.
The most recent was the International Trans conference: http://transconf.org.ua/en/
which took place 23rd– 25th April 2018 in close cooperation with Kiev City authorities and the national police of Ukraine. The event was successful and safe without any safety concerns or other incidents.
The conference will take place at the following venue/hotel:
Hotel address: Kyiv city, Tourist Hotel, 2 R. Okipnoi.
Hotel address in Ukrainian (for taxi drivers etc.): готель «Турист», вул. Р. Окіпної, 2.
Entry regime to Ukraine:
Visa requirements for foreigners entering Ukraine
You can check if you need a visa by this link: https://mfa.gov.ua/en/consular-affairs/entering-ukraine/visa-requirements-for-foreigners
If you don’t need visa to travel to Ukraine your passport should be valid on the day you enter Ukraine. If you require visa to travel to Ukraine your passport should be valid at least 3 months after the date of intended departure from Ukraine and be issued no more than 10 years ago.
If you are citizen of Russia, please note: entry into the territory of Ukraine is possible only if you have visited Crimea (since 2014), coming from Ukraine territory (across the Ukrainian border) or did not visit Crimea (since 2014) at all. If you were visiting Crimea, coming from the territory of Russia, you may be denied in entranceto Ukraine.
The border guard service will have a list of conference participants. However, in any case, you must have all the necessary documents with you. Just print an email invitation (if you do not need a visa). If you are traveling with a visa, you must necessarily have an invitation letter.
On the territory of the airport there will be legal experts who will not allow any violation of your rights. Urgent legal assistance is possible by phone: +380682468878.
Safety and Getting around
After you collect your luggage please go to the arrival hall and look for the person with the «EL*C» sign. This person will give you instructions on your transfer to the hotel/conference venue. If you do not want to wait for the transfer, you can use the taxi (mobile apps Uklon or Uber). The normal taxi price is up to 13 EUR. You can use also a SkyBus (bus stop in front of Arriving’s terminal), please, get off at the stop «Kharkivska metro station». Сhange the bus (mini bus №599 or bus №108) and go to the bus stop Livoberezhna metro station. Hotel will be across the street; you will see it from the bus stop.
On the territory of the airport there will be legal experts who will not allow any violation of your rights. Urgent legal assistance is possible by phone: +380682468878.
In the city: if you are going for a walk or any other purpose to the city center please be sure to take your ID with you. The city center is a safe place and the police are quite helpful there, so don’t be afraid to call them directly in any urgent situation. Their number is 102
If you decide to go outside of city center we recommend you avoid going alone, it’s safer if you are in a group or stay within the city center. In any situation don’t hesitate to contact us: +380504107561(logistic) or +380504107559 (safety).
Carefully keep track of your personal belongings at all times. We do not advise you leave your personal belongings unattended and you should avoid making your valuables accessible (phones, money, etc.)
Avoid taking a taxi on the street, these are not always safe and usually overpriced. We recommend you use Uber or Uklon and you can always ask conference organisers and volunteers for help with getting transport.
We suggest you refrain from wearing LGBTIQ-symbols on the streets. Wearing such symbols has triggered some negative and violent responses in the past.
Smoking on the streets is allowed, except near public transports stops. Smoking is forbidden inside cafés and inside buildings in general.
Drinking outside is forbidden. However, alcohol consumption is allowed in restaurants, cafés and in hotel rooms.
In Ukraine, the use and distribution of all drugs in prohibited.
Emergency numbers & Hotel-Venue Information
(please keep this information on your phone or print it)
Urgent legal assistance: +380682468878
All logistic questions: +380504107561
Police number: 102 or +380442783683
Ambulance: 103 or +380442346252
Hotel address: Kyiv city, Tourist Hotel, 2 R. Okipnoi.
Hotel address in Ukrainian (for taxi drivers etc.): готель «Турист», вул. Р. Окіпної, 2.
///////////////////////////////////////
Tourist Hotel, 2R. Okipnoi, Ukraine, Kiev, 02002
http://hotel-tourist.kiev.ua/
Other options & Budget hotels nearby:
Hotel Slavutych:
http://www.hotel-slavutich.
Hotel Bratislava:
https://www.bratislava.com.ua/
Rent of apartments:
https://www.dobovo.com/kiev-
You can book these hotels or apartments by yourself directly.
SAFETY NOTE:
Ukraine is a huge country, which became an integral part of the Eurointegration process. Since the 2014 “Euromaydan” revolution, Ukraine has been going through a number of reforms and political and social changes.
LGBTQI issues in Ukraine are the one of the milestones, which show how the process of democratization is progressing.
“Insight” is a public organization, which has been conducting public events and international conferences since 2011.
The most recent was the International Trans conference: http://transconf.org.ua/en/
which took place 23rd– 25th April 2018 in close cooperation with Kiev City authorities and the national police of Ukraine. The event was successful and safe without any safety concerns or other incidents.
Additional safety related details will be sent to participants before the event.
Примечания по безопасности:
Украина – большая страна, которая стала неотъемлемой частью процесса евроинтеграции. Начиная с 2014 года, с революции “Евромайдана”, Украина переживает множественное число реформ, политических и социальных изменений.
Вопросы, касающееся ЛГБТКИ, в Украине являются одним из этапов, которые демонстрируют прогресс процесса демократизации.
“Инсайт” – это общественная организация, которая занимается организацией публичных мероприятий и международных конференций с 2011 года.
Самым недавним событием стала Международная Транс конференция: http://transconf.org.ua/en/которая проходила 23-25 апреля 2018 года в тесном сотрудничестве с киевской городской властью и национальной полицией Украины. Мероприятие прошло успешно и безопасно, без каких-либо проблем с безопасностью или другими инцидентами.
Дополнительные детали по безопасности будут разосланы участниц_ам непосредственно перед мероприятием.
Mobile
In Ukraine there are three main mobile operators – kyivstar, vodafone and lifecell. I would recommend you Vodafone S, it costs 60 UAH and you get unlimited access to social media, 4 Gb of Internet, unlimited local calls and certain minutes of international calls.
You can buy them in special stores, the closest to the hotel is in the trade center Komod:
https://www.vodafone.ua/shop/
You can also buy them in some press and tobacco kiosks. Sometimes there are distributors selling them on the street. It’s OK to buy from them.
Getting Cash
As for ATMs, you will probably be charged by 1% or so. Please check during the process.
Transport
For public transport you can use Eway app.
For metro – you can buy a plastic card and put there any number of trips in the machine or you can buy tockens for each trip (all at the metro station). The cost would not differ a lot. Single trip is 8 UAH. You can pay in cash and with credit card as well.
Tickets for other public transport can be bought in kiosks at the stop or directly in the bus/trolleybus/tram. Only in cash.
Unfortunately, there are only month or two weeks cards for public transport and they cost 1300/650 UAH respectively. We recommend to buy single tickets.
As for museums card, you can consider this one, also valid for metro
EL*C Kyiv
12-14 April 2019
Background on Ukraine and Insight the EL*C host organization:
Ukraine is a huge country, which became an integral part of the Eurointegration process. Since the 2014 “Euromaidan” revolution, Ukraine has been going through a number of reforms and political and social changes.
LGBTQI issues in Ukraine are the one of the milestones, which show how the process of democratization is progressing.
“Insight” is a public organization, which has been conducting public events and international conferences since 2011.
The most recent was the International Trans conference: http://transconf.org.ua/en/
which took place 23rd– 25th April 2018 in close cooperation with Kiev City authorities and the national police of Ukraine. The event was successful and safe without any safety concerns or other incidents.
The conference will take place at the following venue/hotel:
Hotel address: Kyiv city, Tourist Hotel, 2 R. Okipnoi.
Hotel address in Ukrainian (for taxi drivers etc.): готель «Турист», вул. Р. Окіпної, 2.
Entry regime to Ukraine:
Visa requirements for foreigners entering Ukraine
You can check if you need a visa by this link: https://mfa.gov.ua/en/consular-affairs/entering-ukraine/visa-requirements-for-foreigners
If you don’t need visa to travel to Ukraine your passport should be valid on the day you enter Ukraine. If you require visa to travel to Ukraine your passport should be valid at least 3 months after the date of intended departure from Ukraine and be issued no more than 10 years ago.
If you are citizen of Russia, please note: entry into the territory of Ukraine is possible only if you have visited Crimea (since 2014), coming from Ukraine territory (across the Ukrainian border) or did not visit Crimea (since 2014) at all. If you were visiting Crimea, coming from the territory of Russia, you may be denied in entranceto Ukraine.
The border guard service will have a list of conference participants. However, in any case, you must have all the necessary documents with you. Just print an email invitation (if you do not need a visa). If you are traveling with a visa, you must necessarily have an invitation letter.
On the territory of the airport there will be legal experts who will not allow any violation of your rights. Urgent legal assistance is possible by phone: +380682468878.
Safety and Getting around
After you collect your luggage please go to the arrival hall and look for the person with the «EL*C» sign. This person will give you instructions on your transfer to the hotel/conference venue. If you do not want to wait for the transfer, you can use the taxi (mobile apps Uklon or Uber). The normal taxi price is up to 13 EUR. You can use also a SkyBus (bus stop in front of Arriving’s terminal), please, get off at the stop «Kharkivska metro station». Сhange the bus (mini bus №599 or bus №108) and go to the bus stop Livoberezhna metro station. Hotel will be across the street; you will see it from the bus stop.
On the territory of the airport there will be legal experts who will not allow any violation of your rights. Urgent legal assistance is possible by phone: +380682468878.
In the city: if you are going for a walk or any other purpose to the city center please be sure to take your ID with you. The city center is a safe place and the police are quite helpful there, so don’t be afraid to call them directly in any urgent situation. Their number is 102
If you decide to go outside of city center we recommend you avoid going alone, it’s safer if you are in a group or stay within the city center. In any situation don’t hesitate to contact us: +380504107561(logistic) or +380504107559 (safety).
Carefully keep track of your personal belongings at all times. We do not advise you leave your personal belongings unattended and you should avoid making your valuables accessible (phones, money, etc.)
Avoid taking a taxi on the street, these are not always safe and usually overpriced. We recommend you use Uber or Uklon and you can always ask conference organisers and volunteers for help with getting transport.
We suggest you refrain from wearing LGBTIQ-symbols on the streets. Wearing such symbols has triggered some negative and violent responses in the past.
Smoking on the streets is allowed, except near public transports stops. Smoking is forbidden inside cafés and inside buildings in general.
Drinking outside is forbidden. However, alcohol consumption is allowed in restaurants, cafés and in hotel rooms.
In Ukraine, the use and distribution of all drugs in prohibited.
Emergency numbers & Hotel-Venue Information
(please keep this information on your phone or print it)
Urgent legal assistance: +380682468878
All logistic questions: +380504107561
Police number: 102 or +380442783683
Ambulance: 103 or +380442346252
Hotel address: Kyiv city, Tourist Hotel, 2 R. Okipnoi.
Hotel address in Ukrainian (for taxi drivers etc.): готель «Турист», вул. Р. Окіпної, 2.
///////////////////////////////////////
Tourist Hotel, 2R. Okipnoi, Ukraine, Kiev, 02002
http://hotel-tourist.kiev.ua/
Other options & Budget hotels nearby:
Hotel Slavutych:
http://www.hotel-slavutich.
Hotel Bratislava:
https://www.bratislava.com.ua/
Rent of apartments:
https://www.dobovo.com/kiev-
You can book these hotels or apartments by yourself directly.
SAFETY NOTE:
Ukraine is a huge country, which became an integral part of the Eurointegration process. Since the 2014 “Euromaydan” revolution, Ukraine has been going through a number of reforms and political and social changes.
LGBTQI issues in Ukraine are the one of the milestones, which show how the process of democratization is progressing.
“Insight” is a public organization, which has been conducting public events and international conferences since 2011.
The most recent was the International Trans conference: http://transconf.org.ua/en/
which took place 23rd– 25th April 2018 in close cooperation with Kiev City authorities and the national police of Ukraine. The event was successful and safe without any safety concerns or other incidents.
Additional safety related details will be sent to participants before the event.
Примечания по безопасности:
Украина – большая страна, которая стала неотъемлемой частью процесса евроинтеграции. Начиная с 2014 года, с революции “Евромайдана”, Украина переживает множественное число реформ, политических и социальных изменений.
Вопросы, касающееся ЛГБТКИ, в Украине являются одним из этапов, которые демонстрируют прогресс процесса демократизации.
“Инсайт” – это общественная организация, которая занимается организацией публичных мероприятий и международных конференций с 2011 года.
Самым недавним событием стала Международная Транс конференция: http://transconf.org.ua/en/которая проходила 23-25 апреля 2018 года в тесном сотрудничестве с киевской городской властью и национальной полицией Украины. Мероприятие прошло успешно и безопасно, без каких-либо проблем с безопасностью или другими инцидентами.
Дополнительные детали по безопасности будут разосланы участниц_ам непосредственно перед мероприятием.
Mobile
In Ukraine there are three main mobile operators – kyivstar, vodafone and lifecell. I would recommend you Vodafone S, it costs 60 UAH and you get unlimited access to social media, 4 Gb of Internet, unlimited local calls and certain minutes of international calls.
You can buy them in special stores, the closest to the hotel is in the trade center Komod:
https://www.vodafone.ua/shop/
You can also buy them in some press and tobacco kiosks. Sometimes there are distributors selling them on the street. It’s OK to buy from them.
Getting Cash
As for ATMs, you will probably be charged by 1% or so. Please check during the process.
Transport
For public transport you can use Eway app.
For metro – you can buy a plastic card and put there any number of trips in the machine or you can buy tockens for each trip (all at the metro station). The cost would not differ a lot. Single trip is 8 UAH. You can pay in cash and with credit card as well.
Tickets for other public transport can be bought in kiosks at the stop or directly in the bus/trolleybus/tram. Only in cash.
Unfortunately, there are only month or two weeks cards for public transport and they cost 1300/650 UAH respectively. We recommend to buy single tickets.
As for museums card, you can consider this one, also valid for metro
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Building a Momentous Lesbian Movement: LET’S BRING LESBIAN GENIUS TO THE WORLD!
