A document still does not recognize them as women and because of this they cannot leave Ukraine. It is the “war within a war” experienced by hundreds of transgender people fleeing Ukraine. Once they arrive at the border, they are turned back because they cannot leave the country with official documents, as required by martial law for all men, which came into effect immediately after the Russian invasion. “We have hundreds of similar case reports. The only solution the LGBTQ associations in Kyiv say sadly is to go to the doctor and then to the military office with the certificate to be removed from the list for enrollment.” Difficult to explain to those who have bags in the Hand managed to reach the border, perhaps after traveling for days to avoid mortar fire and explosions.
In Chelm, a few kilometers from the PolishUkrainian border, few admit to having transgender friends. The issue of gender, especially homosexuality, is still taboo for many in Ukraine. Gay rights in the country are not protected by any law and there is not much sensitivity to the issue. But there are also those on the border who are open about the issue. “Some of my friends are still in Ukraine trying to figure out how to get across the border with their passports,” says Renata, 44, who has just fled Kyiv.
Similar stories and stories also follow on the social networks and blogs of the many associations that help the whole community. Some of them are also forced to advise them to lie, saying at the border that they lost their documents so that they can be recognized as women. “The guards undress you and touch you all over Judis’ dramatic account in the pages of the Guardian . You can see on their faces that they are wondering: “What are you?”, Like some kind of animal or something like that ».
According to some estimates by Ukrainian organizations, since the beginning of the war, hundreds of transgender people have attempted to cross the border, but about 90% of them have been refused. In recent days, Zi Famelu, a transgender who has also become famous for participating in a television talent called Stars Factory, has also shared his odyssey. “You are in danger he said from the border via social networks . I do not know what to do. I urgently need help because everyone here is homophobic and transphobic». Just a few days ago, the artist announced again via Instagram that she had managed to move to “another country”. “I’m still alive he wrote . I went a different way. I can’t share the details but I plan to tell you what happened to me soon. ‘
Many stories have echoed from the Ukrainian borders to Italy. The Gay Party, led by Fabrizio Marrazzo, is asking for the intervention of Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio to “also allow Italian volunteer doctors to go to the border to certify trans people and get them out of Ukraine”. A dramatic dead end that runs the risk of making new “prisoners of war”.