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Being lesbian in Ukraine is a qualitative research carried out
by IEC "Women's Network" in summer 2002. The research
addresses the problem of lesbian invisibility in public discourses,
lack of information about lesbian community in Ukraine, absence
of scholarly research on this topic.
The research was conducted in 4 communities from 3 regions of Ukraine:
Lugansk, Dnepropetrovsk, Kiev.The main research question was how
lesbian self-identification influences the way lesbian women develop
their relations with social environment and its representatives.
Focus groups were carried out where people talked about their
relations with parents and other relatives, friends, partners, social
institutions (medical, legal, political, mass media, education).
Conclusions of the research:
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Communities in Ukraine are diverse in different
Regions and there is nothing as universal
lesbian image and experience template |
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Ukrainian society is homophobic; it accepts lesbians
until their identities are disclosed. In case of disclosure,
lesbians face various social sanctions (e.g. violence, psychological
pressure, material pressure, etc.) |
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There is a lack of information that can help lesbians
to develop positive self-image and
overcome different difficulties |
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