Transgender Ukrainian soldier beaten during leave for mother’s funeral
A transgender woman serving in Ukraine’s armed forces was assaulted on the streets of Lviv on Tuesday night, with the attacker reportedly hurling a slur before striking her in the face. A rights group has urged federal officials to take action on the case.
Identified only as Helen, the soldier told Kyiv Pride she was visiting the western Ukrainian city to be present for her mother’s funeral, but was accosted by a man who began “talking aggressively.”
“Helen asked him to leave, and the next second the man punched her in the nose, saying ‘What are you, a f*g?’” the LGBTQ organization said in a social media post. “The blow knocked Helen off balance and he punched her several more times until she managed to move a few meters away.”
Parts of the attack were captured on video both by Helen and a bystander, with the soldier seen bloodied after taking a kick to the face. She said that while some people witnessed the assault, none attempted to intervene. Footage of the incident appears to show that one man attempted to grab the attacker, but quickly gave up and allowed him to walk away.
The Ukrainian pride group added that Helen has served in the military for three years, and voiced hopes that the authorities would “provide decent protection for our defender.” It called on both the national police force and parliamentary Human Rights Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets to follow up on the situation and bring the attacker to justice.
Helen is not the only transgender soldier fighting on behalf of Kiev to make headlines in recent months. A trans US military veteran and former journalist, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, garnered media attention after she was appointed as a spokesperson for Ukraine’s territorial defense forces earlier this year. She reportedly sustained injuries while serving as a combat medic near Kreminna last February, and now hosts a state-sponsored news show titled ‘Russia Hates the Truth’.
