Ilvy Njiokiktjien: I Don’t Want to be Gay in This Ukraine

 Ilvy Njiokiktjien, an independent photographer and journalist, member of VII Agency, Canon ambassador and among other awards also two times awardee of World Press Photo, went to Lviv, Ukraine, in March 2022 to cover everyday life in the city. It was there that she started working on a personal project documenting the LGBTQI community in Lviv as they cope with the consequences of the Russian invasion.

“Before the Russian invasion, the situation was slowly but surely getting better with the emancipation of the LGBTQI community in Ukraine. Partly it was because president Zelensky called for it, and partly because of Ukraine’s strong ambition to join the European Union, which demands modern changes, such as enabling same-sex marriage.
But right after the invasion members of the LGBTQI community started fearing for their future again. They are thought to be among the designated targets of the Russian sector-oppressing campaign, and names of LGBTQI activists have apparently appeared on Russian kill lists,” Njiokiktjien noted about the series.