The petition on the legalization of same-sex marriages collected the necessarry 25 thousand signatures required for it to be considered by the President of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy replied that «in conditions of war or a state of emergency the Constitution of Ukraine cannot be changed», but noted that the Government has an alternative solution
According to Article 51 of the Ukrainian Constitution, «marriage is based on the free consent of a woman and a man». This article must be changed so that same-sex couples can marry in Ukraine, but this is impossible due to martial law in the country.
At the same time, the president assured that the government has an alternative, which is to legalize registered civil partnerships in Ukraine, which will also allow the registration of same-sex partnerships.
Zelenskyy also promised to ask the Ukrainian prime minister to consider the issues raised in the petition.
«In the modern world, the level of democracy of a society is measured, among other things, through state policy aimed at ensuring equal rights for all citizens. Every citizen is an inseparable part of civil society and is subject to all rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. All people are free and equal in their dignity and rights», — the Ukrainian president said.
A petition on the legalization of same-sex marriage was registered on June 3, 2022.
«At this time, every day can be the last. Let people of the same sex get the opportunity to create a family and have a confirming official document. They need the same rights as traditional couples», wrote the author of the petition.
It collected the necessary 25,000 signatures on July 9. A total of 28,592 people signed it.