Insight is a Ukrainian LGBTQI organization. Unlike most Ukrainian LGBT organizations focused on work with gay men and MSM, Insight’s priority is to help

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

women, transgender,

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

and intersex people. Insight is one of the few public organizations in working with transgender people.

History and activities

In 2007, Insight was founded by

Olena Shevchenko Olena Olehivna Shevchenko ( uk, Олена Олегівна Шевченко; born 1982) is a Ukrainian women's and LGBT rights activist. After working as a teacher, she co-founded the NGO Insight in 2007 to advocate for LGBT inclusiveness on ...

Anna Dovgopol Anna Dovgopol (born 1981 or 1982) is a Ukrainian LGBT rights activist and gender studies academic. Early life and education Dovgopol became aware of gender roles and expectations from a young age, and argued with her parents so she could wear pan ...

and another activist. It was registered as an official organization in 2008. In 2010, Insight with the financial support of ILGA Europe and ASTRAEA conducted the first in sociological study of the situation of transgender people ''«Situation of transgender persons in Ukraine»''. In 2011, with the financial support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation (Warsaw) the first in Ukraine study of the situation of LGBT families ''«LGBT families in Ukraine: social practices and legal regulation»'' was conducted. In 2012, with the financial support of amFAR the study ''«Civil rights of transgender people»'' was conducted. In 2013, Insight presented the shadow report ''«Human Rights Violations of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) People in Ukraine»'' at the 108th Session of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva, resulting in receiving 6 recommendations for SOGI by Ukraine after the Universal Periodic Review, 2 of which concerned the sex change procedure in Ukraine. In 2014, with the support of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Insight developed and published an illustrated textbook ''«ABC of LGBT rights»'' focused on a wide range of readers, and the brochure ''«Sexual orientation and gender identity: questions and answers»''. On March 31, 2016, the International Transgender Day of Visibility, Insight published a brochure ''«Transgender people in Ukraine: social barriers and discrimination»'' which contains the most typical examples of violations of the rights of transgender people and legal comments to them. In 2020, Insight sued Patriarch Filaret for comments linking the COVID-19 pandemic to same-sex marriage. In May 2021, events organised by Insight in Kyiv and Odesa were attacked by the far-right. In response to the attacks, the police claimed that no criminal action had occurred. During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Insight has been raising money to help provide LGBT people with temporary housing, food, medicines and relocation to safer areas. In June 2023, the Insight office in Lutsk was attacked and vandalised.

Cooperation

Insight is a part of the Coalition for Combating Discrimination in Ukraine, ILGA and Transgender Europe. Also, the organization is working with other Ukrainian human rights NGOs, in particular with the project No Borders of the Social Action Centre.

References

External links

Official site of the organization

Site of the International Conference «Transgender issues in social and medical context»
{{Authority control LGBT in Ukraine LGBT organizations in Ukraine Organizations based in Kyiv