Attack in Lviv. Transgender soldier beaten bloody

Hanna Mark was a soldier in the Ukrainian Armed Forces long before last year's full-scale Russian invasion. As a transgender woman, she fights the enemy equally heroically, standing in one line with her heterosexual colleagues from the wards.

There are not many military men like Mark, but they are present in the armed forces of Ukraine. Some of them, according to Euronews, wear a patch with a unicorn to emphasize their LGBT identity.

The uniform, however, does not protect them, as it turns out, against intolerance. This caught up with Helen in a difficult moment, when it turned out that she had to travel to Lviv for her mother's funeral. On August 15, there was an assault by an unknown perpetrator who approached the street. The effects of the aggression – bruises on the victim's face and a bloody nose – were recorded on a mobile phone and the recording was shown on social media.

Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian organization fighting for LGBT rights, called on the authorities to investigate the “shocking case”.

"We await developments and ask @national.police.ua for a dignified response to this horrific incident. Helen has been serving for three years, and we hope that Ukraine will provide worthy protection to our defender", the organization's activists wrote, also asking for the help of the Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

Homophobic attack on a Ukrainian soldier. Beaten in Lviv

According to the Union of the LGBT Military, an organization founded in 2018 by a homosexual veteran of the Ukrainian armed forces in Donbass, it is estimated that between 2 and 7 percent representatives of sexual minorities serve in the military of Ukraine. Activists are fighting for the rights of both those who come out and those who keep their identity secret.

Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Ukraine, but parliament is considering extending full rights to LGBT people serving in the country's defense structures. This would mean, as Euronews points out, that the partners of gay soldiers would receive the same protection in the event of death on the battlefield.

The justification for such a legal act is the state of war in Ukraine and the forced mobilization of people of military age, officially recognized as men. The military is also asking for transgender women if they do not have the appropriate documents.