Topic 2 · Training session · 2026
Intersectionality and the Rights of LGBTIQ+ Communities
2026 · 12:20–13:00
Lecture + discussion
Volodymyr Kosenko
Director, Bureau "We Are!"
Key parameters
4
Thematic blocks
2
Legal levels: intl. + national
Audience
Diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, already familiar with the basic legal framework.
LOGO
Organisers
Bureau "We Are!" + MFA of Ukraine
lgbt.in.ua  ·  monitor.lgbt.in.ua
Agenda
Four blocks plus discussion
01 · BLOCK
Intersectionality
What it is, why a single axis of identity is never enough, and how intersecting characteristics multiply risks and protection needs.
~ 12 min
02 · BLOCK
Stereotypes and myths
Common narratives about LGBTIQ+ people versus facts, and how myths function in the public sphere.
~ 10 min
03 · BLOCK
Inclusive language and ethics
LGBTIQ+, SOGI, correct terminology, avoiding stigmatising labels, and the principles of ethical communication.
~ 8 min
04 · BLOCK
Legal framework
International standards (ECHR, Yogyakarta Principles) and Ukrainian national legislation on LGBTIQ+ rights.
~ 10 min
Block 01 · Intersectionality
What is intersectionality?
Intersection, not addition
The experience of discrimination is not a sum of separate traits. The combination of several identities produces qualitatively new risks and barriers that do not exist when each trait is considered alone.

For a diplomat this means: a policy "for women" or "for LGBTIQ+" may miss a lesbian who is an internally displaced person and belongs to both groups at once.
DEFINITION

"Intersectionality is an analytical tool that describes how race, gender, class and other characteristics interact to shape unique experiences of oppression and privilege that cannot be reduced to a single category."

Kimberlé Crenshaw, 1989
Analysis, not identity
A method to reveal structural barriers, not a label for a person.
For policy
It helps see whom the system overlooks.
Block 01 · Intersectionality
Intersecting identities: who falls outside the frame
LGBTIQ+ × disability
Access to inclusive services and support; barriers in medical and social systems.
LGBTIQ+ × IDPs
Loss of documents, rupture with family of support, risks in new communities.
LGBTIQ+ × Armed Forces
AFU service members, partners without legal status, risks where couples are unrecognised.
LGBTIQ+ × minorities
Double stigma, language and cultural barriers to protection.
Women × SOGI
Lesbian and bisexual women: a combination of gender-based and homophobic violence.
Trans- and intersex people
Documents, medical access, legal protection most exposed to gaps.
LGBTIQ+ × labour
Clear protection in the Labour Code, but informal and grey economy remain outside it.
LGBTIQ+ × health
Refusal of care, outing, attempts to "treat" sexual orientation.
Source: analytics and materials of Bureau "We Are!"; intersectionality framework per Crenshaw.
Block 01 · Intersectionality
Why this is a policy priority for diplomacy
EU integration and the acquis
Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the equality acquis are part of the membership conditions. Anti-discrimination standards are relevant to negotiating chapters.
Armed Forces of Ukraine
LGBTIQ+ service members defend the state, yet their partners hold no "family member" status. Recognising couples is a matter of justice toward those who fight.
IDPs and the humanitarian dimension
Internally displaced LGBTIQ+ people often lose access to their family of support. Humanitarian policy must account for intersectional risks.
Framework: Ukraine is a Council of Europe member and an EU candidate. ECHR standards and the EU acquis are legally relevant.
Block 02 · Stereotypes and myths
Myths versus facts
MYTH
FACT
"It is a Western import, new to Ukraine"
LGBTIQ+ people exist in every society. Legal protection in Ukraine predates 2022 (Labour Code, Media Law, ECtHR case-law).
"Propaganda recruits children"
Global medical and psychological associations are unanimous: orientation is not shaped by information. "Propaganda laws" have no evidence base.
"A threat to the traditional family"
No study confirms a link between equal rights and family breakdown. Registered partnerships simply recognise relationships that already exist.
"Orientation can be 'cured'"
WHO and WPA classify attempts to "treat" orientation as harmful practice. Orientation is not an illness and is not treatable.
Sources: WHO, APA, ECtHR case-law, Bureau "We Are!" materials.
Block 02 · Stereotypes and myths
How myths become policy: the mechanism
Moral panic
A simplified narrative about a "threat" creates emotional tension that outpaces factual verification of claims.
Scapegoating
In times of crisis, LGBTIQ+ people historically become a convenient target for mobilising an "against".
Transfer into law
A myth is mobilised as a justification for restrictive norms — often contrary to ECHR obligations.
WHAT OUR MONITORING SHOWS
The Bureau's research records recurring patterns of public discourse about LGBTIQ+ people (2022–2025): 107 local council acts of 2016–2019 against "propaganda" and a calibration media corpus (N=35) show how stereotypes become institutionalised rather than reflect reality.
Source: Bureau "We Are!" analytical report "Public Discourse Concerning LGBTIQ+, 2022–2025". Goal: reproducibility of patterns, not prevalence assessment.
Block 03 · Inclusive language
Correct language: avoid → use
AVOID
USE
"homosexual", "a homosexual"clinical, stigmatising tone
gay, lesbian (as self-identification)self-identified terms
"non-traditional orientation"implies a "correct" norm
sexual orientationneutral, accurate
"change sex"inaccurate and biased
gender transition, transgender personprecise terms
"sexual minorities" (as blanket term)dilutes identity
LGBTIQ+ communities, LGBTIQ+ peopleinclusive umbrella
"homosexuality propaganda"a constructed narrative with no evidence
visibility, equal rights, access to informationrights-based framing
LGBTIQ+ = lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning; "+" = other identities. SOGI = sexual orientation and gender identity.
Block 03 · Ethical norms
Ethical principles for communication about LGBTIQ+
No outing
Never disclose a person's orientation or gender identity without their explicit consent — even with the best intentions.
Do-no-harm reporting
Do not reproduce slurs unless necessary and contextualised; do not reduce a person to their identity alone.
Primary sources
Refer to competent authorities, medical associations and court decisions — not rumours or viral claims.
Chosen name
Use the name and pronouns a person has chosen, regardless of the status of legal document change.
Context, not sensationalism
Present facts in legal and social context; avoid headlines that normalise hatred.
Accurate terminology
Distinguish orientation, identity, intersex variations; do not conflate concepts in legal and medical contexts.
Block 04 · Legal framework
International legal framework for LGBTIQ+ rights
Universal instruments
UDHR (1948) and ICCPR (1966): rights and equality without limitation by grounds. The HRC interprets non-discrimination inclusively regarding SOGI.
ECHR (Council of Europe)
Art. 8 (private life), Art. 12 (marriage), Art. 14 (non-discrimination). Ukraine executes ECtHR judgments, including in LGBTIQ+ cases.
Yogyakarta Principles
An authoritative interpretation of applying international human rights law to SOGI and gender expression (2007, 2017).
Council of Europe recommendations
CM/Rec(2010)5 on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of SOGI; CM/Rec(2022)16 and ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 15 on hate speech.
EU acquis
Art. 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; the Equality Directives in employment — binding for candidate countries on the path to membership.
Regional case-law
ECtHR judgments shape minimum standards for recognising couples, freedom of assembly and protection from hate crimes.
Block 04 · Legal framework
European standards and Ukraine: landmark cases
Maymulakhin & Markiv v. Ukraine
ECtHR, June 2023. Found a violation of Art. 8 ECHR due to the absence of legal recognition for same-sex couples. Ukraine has a positive obligation to provide legal recognition.

Diplomatic significance: non-execution creates a systemic legal risk and erodes trust in institutional reform.
Positive obligations of the state
Protection from violence
Effective investigation of hate-motivated crimes, including during peaceful assemblies.
Recognition of couples
A legal mechanism for same-sex couples — not only civil law, but also access to social guarantees.
Freedom of assembly
Protection of participants in LGBTIQ+ events from counter-protests and violence.
Source: ECtHR, Maymulakhin and Markiv v. Ukraine (application no. 7808/16), judgment of June 2023.
Block 04 · Legal framework
National legal framework of Ukraine
Constitution of Ukraine
Art. 24 — equality before the law; the list of grounds is non-exhaustive, so it covers SOGI. Art. 21, 28 — dignity and inviolability.
Labour Code
A direct prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity — the clearest protection in national law.
Media Law
Direct inclusion of SOGI among the grounds for which discriminatory and hostile content is prohibited. Remedy via the National Council.
Anti-discrimination framework
An open list of grounds: SOGI is treated as "other grounds". Allows challenges but complicates enforcement.
Criminal Code
Intolerance motive is an aggravating circumstance. However, full and clear recognition of the homophobic/transphobic motive remains incomplete.
Martial law and AFU
Restrictions on freedom of assembly must relate to security, not to the theme or identity of participants.
Block 04 · Legal framework
Legal gaps: what exists and what is missing
Area
What exists
Gap
Recognition of couples
Constitutional possibility of marriage; Draft Law No. 9103 on registered partnerships
Draft Law No. 9103 (March 2023) not adopted as of 2026; same-sex couples hold no status
Hate crimes
Aggravating circumstance "of an intolerant motive" in the Criminal Code
Incomplete and unclear recognition of the homophobic/transphobic motive
Hate speech
Media Law; the National Council as regulator
Draft Law No. 13597 risks blurring the line between sharp expression and incitement, contrary to Art. 10 ECHR
Trans- and intersex people
A procedure for changing documents
Excessive medical barriers; lack of self-determination; protection of intersex children
Sources: Constitution, Criminal Code, Labour Code, Media Law, Draft Law No. 9103, Draft Law No. 13597, Maymulakhin v. Ukraine.
Response
The role of diplomacy: four vectors of action
1
Language & representation
Apply correct language in international communication; do not legitimise stigmatising terms.
2
Reform advocacy
Support the adoption of Draft Law No. 9103, the improvement of the Criminal Code and the alignment of Draft Law No. 13597 with the ECHR.
3
Protection of citizens
Consular and legal protection of LGBTIQ+ Ukrainians abroad, including IDPs and vulnerable groups.
4
Cooperation
Coordination with the Council of Europe, the EU and human rights NGOs on standards and monitoring.
PRINCIPLE
Diplomatic action is most effective when it relies on evidence rather than stereotypes, and when it is inclusive of intersectional groups.
Ask · Actionable steps
Recommendations for diplomatic practice
01 · Internal standard
Introduce a guide on correct language and communication ethics for MFA units and foreign missions.
02 · Support for reforms
Publicly support the execution of Maymulakhin v. Ukraine and the advancement of Draft Law No. 9103 on registered partnerships.
03 · Proportionality
Ensure that the response to hate speech (Draft Law No. 13597) complies with Art. 10 ECHR and does not create a chilling effect.
04 · Armed Forces of Ukraine
Recognise partners of AFU service members on matters of status and social guarantees.
05 · IDPs and vulnerable groups
Integrate an intersectional perspective into humanitarian and consular policy toward IDPs.
06 · Sustained dialogue
Regular consultations with LGBTIQ+ organisations to track risks and update standards.
W
Thank you · Дякуємо
Questions & Discussion
Bureau "We Are!" is open to expert cooperation with the diplomatic community on LGBTIQ+ rights, intersectionality and evidence-based policy.
Materials Dashboard lgbt.in.ua vk@lgbt.in.ua
Bureau "We Are!" + MFA of Ukraine · 2026 · Topic 2 · Intersectionality
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