Amid the ongoing exodus of Ukrainians fleeing their country due to the Russian invasion, members of the country’s LGBTQ community find themselves in a particularly precarious position. Some of the countries that they are fleeing to, including Poland, have had vocal anti-LGBTQ movements in recent years. LGBTQ+ Ukrainian refugees also face obstacles towards receiving proper medical care, and at times, issues with their identifying documents.

We hear from Edward Reese, a non-binary, queer Ukrainian about his experience fleeing Ukraine. We also speak with two activists working to help LGBTQ Ukrainian refugees, Olena Shevchenko, Head of Insight Ukraine, an LGBTQ advocacy group based in Ukraine, and Miroslawa “Mirka” Makuchowska, Deputy CEO of Campaign Against Homophobia, a Polish LGBTQ+ rights organization.