before sending this edition out, i chatted with a passionate western volunteer helping out ukrainians. the person was frustrated how their family wouldn’t share the enthusiasm. and how finding support within ‘the chosen family’ of ukrainians is lifting them up
as a queer ukrainian, i cannot relate more to the ‘chosen family’ experience. but it is remarkable how it also became part of the anti-colonial solidarity around ukraine. it is not a coincidence, though
i keep telling everyone that it was easier for me to come out as queer than as ukrainian. but after i did both, only then did the queerness of being ukrainian become so apparent for me
the resistance of it. the resistance to the attempts to erase your identity, gaslight, dehumanize, exploit, and dominate you
the survival of it. forging community links at our darkest time, nurturing the sense of collective care and responsibility for each other, and reclaiming the language and culture codes that were used to oppress you.
the love of it. harboring hope despite facing the most unspeakable evil humanity is capable of. dreaming, envisioning a world that is more just. preserving devotion to the idea of equality, freedom and liberty. relentlessly trying to reject hate. not losing your ability to love
these qualities are not only quintessentially queer but also very anti-colonial and very ukrainian
if you knew me as a kid, you would not be surprised i was more ashamed of coming across as ukrainian rather than gay. i did face bullying for my queerness and femininity, sure. but my ukrainianianness was attacked more
my father’s very ukrainian surname (partially the reason why i started using my mother’s for my alias) and my ukrainian accent would get me in trouble much more
things started to roll back in the late 2000s when russia got its colonial shit together and made the articulated ideology of homophobia part of its neighborhood foreign policy in the renewed push for colonial domination
starting with 2010s you could easily map pro-russian political agents in the region by their support for the criminalization of queerness, even if they would be cautious about publicly identifying as pro-russian
i never would connect the dots between my queerness, my urkrainianness and russian colonialism so obviously until something happened to me personally. for almost a year in the early 2010s, i lived in moscow. it remains the most degrading and revolting experience of my life
i faced virulent homophobia for being openly queer. i faced rabid xenophobia for being ukrainian. and i faced nasty racism for being a mixed dude
i could never tell what provoked slurs from randos on the street or micro-aggressions at work: my femininity, my georgian nose, my crimean tatar eyelid fold, my dark roma hair, my ukrainian accent. it was too much queerness to handle at the heart of a patriarchal colonial empire
it made me dig deep into the rich history of oppressed ukrainian queerness. turned out that oppression went in sync with repressing ukrainianness. for #russiancolonialism, ukrainianness and queerness are two equally criminal and dangerous acts of existence
so many queer ukrainians resisted erasure and oppression by russian colonialism for centuries. but the real gamechanger for queer equality in ukraine came with the russia-launched genocide on february 24th, 2022
queer ukrainians were among the first to enlist to defend the country since they knew all too well — there was more at stake than territorial integrity. it was the ultimate civilizational battle for Ukraine, paved by centuries of our anti-colonial struggle
if this war is lost, queerness and ukrainianness will be buried in the same mass grave
that’s why now we have tens of thousands of openly-queer soldiers proudly and openly defending Ukraine and the rest of europe from russian colonial fascism. that’s why a public petition for marriage equality collected a minimum-required 25,000 signatures in no time
that’s why our officials meet queer activists to work on effective hate crime legislation as bombs literally rain down over their heads. that’s why the public acceptance of queer Ukrainians reached all-time highs of ⅔ during the months of the war
so yes, it is not a coincidence that queer acceptance and decolonization go in sync in ukraine these days. because they are intertwined within the ultimate queerness of being a ukrainian
back in 2015, i wrote an essay that, in many ways, defined my public image for many years after. ‘i am gay in ukraine, and my country despises me’ was an honest message of frustration and anger of a young queer person who is denied equal claim to humanity and dignity every day
but it was also an honest message from a confused mind that wasn’t touched by the enlightenment of decolonization. that anger and despair were valid but misdirected
it took me years to see that the fastest shortcut to equality in ukraine is decolonial awakening within our Ukrainian minds. the awakening that includes a short mental bridge between two very similar experiences: being queer and Ukrainian
both surviving, resisting and prevailing despite centuries of oppression by #russiancolonialism
this is an excerpt from my essay for my newest #freepresseristavi edition. you can read it in full by:
💛joining my patreon family
patreon.com/maksymeristavi
💙joining my revue members family
getrevue.co/profile/maksym…
and here is a free preview of the newest free press eristavi drop
getrevue.co/profile/maksym…

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More from @maksymeristavi

Jul 26
бажаєш смерті москалю? тоді їбаш його в собі.
як це називається коли одночасно мурахи по шкірі та сльози?
Read 4 tweets
Jul 25
a powerful act of decolonization of ukrainian pride by @VinokCollective for #UkrainianSpaces

full episode:
🫡spotify
open.spotify.com/episode/3Fnzfa…
🫡apple
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ukr…
🫡google
podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6L…
🫡amazon
music.amazon.com/podcasts/baf64…
if this war is lost, most queer ukrainians will end up in mass graves. showing your solidarity with queer ukrainians is to donate to ukrainian army

@VinokCollective for #UkrainianSpaces

check episode #23 in full:
ukrainianspaces.com
there’s a simple reason why genocide in ukraine also turbo-charged public acceptance of queer ukrainians. equality and diversity are quintessentially ukrianian and anti-colonial values

@VinokCollective for #UkrainianSpaces

check episode #23 in full:
ukrainianspaces.com
Read 4 tweets
Jul 22
i am so sick and tired of googling stuff in ukrainian and constantly getting results in russian, @Google
sick digital colonialism. googling the word “ukraine” in ukrainian — getting zero results in ukrainian, but plenty of russian propaganda websites instead
and yes, russian is specifically excluded in my search results settings.
Read 4 tweets
Jul 21
вінниця була рівно тиждень тому.
а відчуття водночас наче рік тому або вчора. йобнутися від такого плину часу.
one week after russian terrorist attack on downtown vinnytsia. 26th victim died in a hospital today. meanwhile, ukrainians are cleaning up, rebuilding, mourning — defiant as ever. the future is ukraine.
@suspilne_news
suspilne.media/263053-tizden-…
Read 6 tweets
Jul 18
when a window installer in odesa can explain you democracy better than any academic.

absolutely astonishing how ukrainian democracy not only survives through genocide but also thrives and even gets stronger.

another one for history books by @ngumenyuk
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
"in responding to putin’s invasion we have become more democratic, more decentralized, more liberal. his efforts are not merely failing in the narrow sense; they have highlighted how different we really are from russia, and are having the opposite effect from what he intended"
"russian occupiers in Ukraine do not understand that local authorities here do not follow orders from the president or security service but represent communities. unable to comprehend this freedom of thought they torture officials demanding to know who is orchestrating protests"
Read 5 tweets
Jul 14
folks, i need your help amplifying it.

this is our friend and our icon and our inspiration.

maksym butkevych is the most prominent human rights defender in ukraine.

he is kidnapped by russia.

#FreeMaksymButkevych
maksym is quintessential ukraine. soft-spoken, quite, kind man, but with a resolute and valor that radiates off him. he spent his life tirelessly defending human rights in ukraine — for anyone, including migrants. there wasn't a single call he hasn't answered. 24/7.
when the genocide started i wasn't surprised maksym was one of the first to enlist to defend us on the frontline. as other of our finest, brightest, most brilliant ukrainians, he instantly knew the stakes — we are defending not just our territory, but our civilization, our values
Read 4 tweets

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