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May 15, 2026, 8:45 p.m.
In Odesa, they talked about the representation of queers and women on the pages of contemporary Ukrainian books
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PHOTO: Intent/Kateryna Halenko
The queer literary event was held as part of the Odesa Pride festival of queer culture and the struggle for the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community on May 14 in Odesa.
According to an Int'l correspondent, the discussion at the Union Cultural Center focused on the representation of queers and women in contemporary Ukrainian books.
The speakers were representatives of leading Ukrainian publishing houses that actively work with gender-sensitive topics:
- Olha Sadikova (PR manager at TAK Publishing House)
- Iryna Nikolaychuk (Representative of Creative Women Publishing)
- Olena Rybka (Coordinator of Ukrainian projects at Vivat Publishing House)
- As well as Ryan Rineruk, author of the first Ukrainian gay book To Mars, published in 2012.
The conversation was moderated by the facilitator, book blogger Mari Inich.
They discussed the readiness of Ukrainian society and publishers for queer literature: the speakers emphasized that it is needed. Publishers are ready to cooperate and are looking forward to new queer authors. They noted how stigmatization and censorship still affect the literary process, but at the same time, how great the need of society is for more and better representation of the whole diversity of identities.
And, of course, we dreamed of an ideal world: there should be no separate queer or feminist publishing houses. Every publishing house should represent everyone equally, without focusing on their identity as something exotic.
"Yes, I may not know your story, I may not understand you, because I have not gone through your journey. But I will listen when you tell me, and then I will see you," says Iryna Nikolaychuk about people's stories as they tell them through literature.
The Odesa Pride 2026 festival, dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, human rights, and equality, is taking place in Odesa from May 11-17. Throughout the week, discussions, forums, film screenings, educational meetings, and pride marches, including the QueerQuiz, were organized for citizens and guests.
Катерина Галенко
