The legislation is designed to bring Ukraine closer to European law as part of Kyiv's bid to join the European Union, but protesters and watchdog organisations said it contradicts the EU's fundamental rights.Protesters chanted: "Protest, make love and don't give away your rights!" as they gathered in a park near the parliament for the demonstration, which began with a minute of silence for soldiers killed in the Russian invasion."This civil code is a disgrace, it should be withdrawn or stopped," said Viktor Pylypenko, a veteran and LGBTQ activist.The legislation, passed in its first reading, is yet to be adopted but, in its current form, it would uphold Ukraine's ban on same-sex marriage.
The civil code would uphold Ukraine's ban on same-sex marriage © Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP
A previous version of the legislation triggered outrage by allowing for marriage from the age of 14. The clause was later removed, but parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said changing the constitutional definition of marriage would "undoubtedly generate disputes... that is why we left this regulation as it is." Over 70 percent of Ukrainians believe LGBTQ people should have the same rights as everyone else, and 35 percent oppose same-sex partnerships, according to a 2024 survey from the Kyiv Institute of Sociology.Protesters believed the issue of same-sex partnership could not wait for when the war ends."We have families, but our families are not recognised, which creates enormous problems... After the death or severe injury of LGBT defenders, these issues become especially critical," Pylypenko said.'Good morals'The civil code would also allow judges to base some rulings on vaguely defined "good morals" -- a provision Human Rights Watch warned would be "opening the door to arbitrary interpretation".
