Hey, what's up? It's Gustavo Ariano. It's June so happy Pride Month, and over the following weeks, the Times is going to bring you stories about queer people from around the world.

I'll be handing the mic over to my LGBTQ plus colleagues here at the LA Times for this series.

And today, to start off, Times producer David Toledo, one of my hefes, he brings us to the front lines of the war in Ukraine,

where queer people are fighting to preserve the rights they've gained over the past decade.

The world is standing with Ukraine.

It's true. It's beautiful.

But they don't know many things that happened in different communities there.

And I hope there will be some big, big change.

Ukraine was never a utopia for gays and transgender people.

But activists there say that things have gotten better over the years.

I see the progress and I see the future here because I like that Ukraine is full of opportunities.

However, now, people are worried that Russia's invasion could put all that progress at risk.

When Russia started occupation, we were afraid that we can lose a lot.

Russia, they are known for homophobia and transphobia.

So it's kind of impossible to become someone there.

And those fears aren't hyperbolic.

Decades of Russia's history of human rights violations

show us that Ukraine's LGBTQ plus people are right to be worried.

The brutality displayed against Ukrainian civilians has that Ukraine's LGBTQ plus people are right to be worried.

The brutality displayed against Ukrainian civilians has raised all red flag.

Russian police detained as many as 30 gay rights activists who took part in an unsanctioned rally in St. Petersburg. Queer people in Russia face jail, sometimes torture, and even death.

They don't have any rights like we have at least here, and they don't have basic rights

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