May 17, Pozirk. All people “deserve to be who they are without fear of being rejected or abused,” Volha Harbunova in charge of social policies at the opposition transition cabinet has said on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
“We stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community because their rights are not special rights, they are human rights that should be guaranteed to everyone without exception,” the cabinet’s press office quoted her as saying.
Harassment of sexual minorities is a reminder of dark times when ignorance and fear of the unknown ruled societies, she noted.
“I want to believe that humanism and enlightenment will eventually transcend stereotypes,” Harbunova stressed.
The 2024 Rainbow Map of sexual minority rights in Europe and Central Asia by the ILGA-Europe non-profit ranked Belarus 45th out of 49 countries. Only Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia ranked worse than Belarus.
Belarusian long-time ruler Alaksandar Łukašenka called homosexual men “perverts” and once famously said, “It is better to be a dictator than gay.”
In late December 2022, Natalla Kačanava, chair of the upper chamber of the Belarusian National Assembly, suggested following Russia in adopting anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda legislation.
The 2023 report by the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus noted instances of threats and violence against the LGBTQ+ community, based on their looks, belongings and personal correspondence.
