“Leave those people alone, for God’s sake,” he commented. During his first major press conference in October 2019, he made headlines by stating that all Ukrainians could freely choose their language, religion, and sexual orientation. One-and-a-half years into his presidency, Zelenskyy’s stance towards the LGBTQ community and other social issues remains unclear. These expectations have yet to be justified. Compared to the often cold and overly official media strategies of his rivals, this strikingly modern campaign style led many to assume that a Zelenskyy presidency would mean the rapid Europeanization and liberalization of Ukrainian society. Zelenskyy was able to build on his showbiz appeal by running a slick social media-based election campaign, becoming the first Ukrainian politician to use Instagram as a platform for communicating with voters. This ability to engage younger Ukrainian voters was to prove one of the factors behind his subsequent landslide presidential election victory. This has left observers puzzled over Zelenskyy’s true attitude towards LGBTQ rights and other social issues.ĭuring the initial stages of his political career in early 2019, former comedian Zelenskyy was widely seen as a young and progressive presidential candidate who represented a generational change from the country’s out-of-touch post-Soviet elite. Meanwhile, proposed new legislation drafted by MPs from Zelenskyy’s own Servant of the People party targets “homosexual propaganda” in language that appears to be borrowed directly from neighboring Russia. Instead of maintaining Ukraine’s European integration, Zelenskyy’s first eighteen months in office have witnessed a resurgence in pro-Kremlin influence and a marked decline in official support for liberal social policies. Things have not worked out entirely as expected. His election campaign was based on progressive and liberal slogans, fueling hopes for the acceleration of the pro-European reforms launched during the presidency of his predecessor Petro Poroshenko.Īlthough Zelenskyy made no specific promises on the campaign trail regarding same-sex marriage, his commitment to legalize the gambling sector and use of broadly inclusive language encouraged expectations of similarly liberal stances on other social questions. The election of showbiz star Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the youngest ever president of Ukraine in spring 2019 was cheered by many in the country’s LGBTQ community.