Queer Voices of Ukraine – West Coast Mini-Tour

Announcing the upcoming tour of “Queer Voices of Ukraine: Poetry, Prose, and the People’s Resistance” featuring a film screening of two short documentaries by Rebel Queers & a reading of the Queer Ukraine anthology by Dvijka collective.

“Ukrainian Queer Fighters for Freedom” is a documentary series by genderqueer artist, activist, and filmmaker, Angelika Ustymenko, the driving force behind Rebel Queers collective. In the early hours of February 24, 2022, cruise missiles hammered down on Kyiv and across Ukraine – announcing that Russia’s full-scale re-invasion had begun. Every Ukrainian had to make a choice: What are you going to do to resist? Many queer people joined the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian volunteers – most with no prior military training – who joined the armed resistance. “Queer Fighters of Ukraine” reveals the experiences of young LGBTQ+ activists and queer party DJs now fighting on the frontlines. Those who did not join the armed resistance found other ways to resist. Angelika began documenting queer fighters’ reflections after a year of war and broadening the focus to include other forms of queer resistance.  

“I just had to tell these stories and show that queer people are also fighting,” Angelika explains. “It’s important for the world to understand our context better and see what’s really going on here.

“Queer Ukraine: LGBTQi+ Voices during Wartime” is an anthology of stories, essays, and poems by twelve queer people in Ukraine and in the diaspora community, edited by Dvijka Collective. Against the backdrop of brutal invasion, LGBTQI+ people find ways to express themselves against all odds, to create beyond all constraints. Every voice tells a story, and this anthology is a platform for these voices, an archive of their existence. It is time for them to tell their stories on their own terms – and for the rest of the world to stand in solidarity with them. Proceeds from the sales of this book go to projects supporting LGBTQI+ people in Ukraine. 

These events will be facilitated by elliott miskovicz, the only US-based writer of the Queer Ukraine anthology. A trans artist and activist with personal ties to Ukraine, miskovicz does humanitarian work in Ukraine while also doing educational work in the US to bridge the knowledge gap around Ukrainian resistance in anti-war activist spaces.   

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Covid Safer Policy: This event is in-person; Masks & Proof of Vaccination + Booster Required. More about the IPRC’s Covid-Safer Guidelines here; reach out to info@iprc.org with questions re: medical exemption.

Accessibility at the IPRC:
The IPRC’s ADA accessible entrance is on the SE side of the building at 331 SE Madison. Call (503) 827-0249 for ramp access.

Sensory Note: the IPRC is situated under a skatepark, and the noise from IPRC studio usage itself may be disruptive for anyone experiencing audio sensitivity. The IPRC provides ear plugs for community members.