Amid missile strikes, being queer in Ukraine is defiance against Putin

Russia cites the West’s acceptance of LGBTQ+ rights in its justification for its invasion, so Ukraine’s relative liberalism feels like an act of dissent in the face of Moscow’s brutality.

As missiles rained down on Kramatorsk last night, killing nine people, including three children, and wounding at least 56 more (see more below), Kyiv did one of the things that Russian President Vladimir Putin hates the most: it celebrated the diversity of its LGBTQ+ community with the Sunny Bunny Film Festival, Ukraine’s first film festival dedicated t…