LGBTQ+ news from Russia, Ukraine and Vanuatu

Brief recaps of recent good news, bad news and absurd news

A wrap-up of good news from Ukraine, bad news from Russia and absurd news from Vanuatu:
The Supreme Court of Ukraine (Photo courtesy of the court’s website)
Ukraine Supreme Court confirms legality of same-sex marriage
Ukraine’s supreme court dismissed an appeal of a lower court decision that for the first time recognized a same-sex couple as a family. The couple had been married in the United States. Although the Constitution of Ukraine defines marriage as between “a woman and a man”, the supreme court rejected an appeal from a conservative group that sought to overturn the lower court ruling.
A proposed civil union bill has been pending in parliament since 2023.
In St. Petersburg in 2018, a young participant at Coming Out’s rally for LGBT rights holds a sign that states “Let’s Live in Peace.” (Photo courtesy of Coming Out)
Russian court bans the Coming Out group as ‘extremist.’

Authorities did not reveal any details of the lawsuit filed last month by Russia’s Justice Ministry and classified as secret.

The group, which now operates from abroad, said it will continue to help LGBTQ+ people in Russia and beyond, and fight for their rights despite the ruling.
Coming Out is the first LGBTQ+ rights group to be designated since the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that effectively banned any LGBTQ+ activism. Similar lawsuits are pending against two other LGBTQ+ rights groups, in St. Petersburg and the Samara region .
In November 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court declared what the government called “the international LGBT movement” to be an extremist organization, exposing anyone involved with that community to prosecution and potential imprisonment.
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Vanuatu women’s national team plays Fiji in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Oceania Qualifiers in Fiji on March 5. (Photo courtesy of RNZ / Facebook / Vanuatu Football Federation)

Lesbians blamed for Vanuatu’s World Cup losses
The Vanuatu Daily Post, the only daily newspaper of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, has been banned from covering football/soccer matches after it ran a story deemed defamatory, in which a former coach of the national women’s team blamed losses on too much lesbianism among the players.  The team lost all three games in the FIFA qualifying round for the Women’s World Cup 2027, held in Fiji.
Sexual relationships with teammates led to distraction during matches,  the newspaper reported.
“He witnessed his players at the time more focused on their personal relationships off the field, rather than developing their skills on the field,” the article stated.
 

76crimes.com, https://76crimes.com/2026/03/21/lgbtq-news-from-russia-ukraine-and-vanuatu/