User:Grace Finlay/sandbox

Vitalina Koval
Vitalina Koval is a 28 year old woman who is currently defending LGBTQI+ rights and women's rights in Ukraine. Vitalina has been the victim of abuse caused by her activism but continues to be a beacon of hope for the LGBTI community of Ukraine as she is an openly lesbian woman. Vitalina is currently active on social medias such as Twitter and Instagram.

Personal Life:
Vitalina Koval is a Ukrainian Lesbian activist. Vitalina came out as a lesbian when she was 25 years old. The decision to be openly gay in the town of Uzhgorod was an extremely brave one as the country of Ukraine has a large percentage of conservative and homphobic politicians in government. She stated:

“When I was 25, I decided to come out to my family. For me, it was a powerful decision because I’d been struggling to do it since I was a teenager. I had tried to do it a few times but there was a very homophobic response and I had a lot of emotional problems after that".

Koval opened an LGBTQ+ community centre which was a great success and succeeded in bringing the queer community together.

Hate Crimes:
Vitalina Koval has helped build a community for the LGBTQI+ people of Ukraine.In March 2017, Vitalina participated in International Women's Day in Ukraine and was faced with abuse when she was attacked by a dozen young men. These men charged at her and the other protesters. They destroyed their posters and shouted verbal abuse at them, including threats. Vitalina and her fellow protesters were shaken up and went to the police, seeking help and justice but the police never got back to them.

Vitalina did not let this stop her from participating in the following years IWD peaceful protest. She took precautions beforehand and went to the police who assured her that this year the protesters would be well protected and the previous years events would not be repeated. Yet, just as the protest was coming to an end, four women and two men, who were members of the radical far right wing group known as ‘Karpatska Sich’, doused Vitalina in red paint, which immediately began to burn her eyes. Doctors at the hospital confirmed that Vitalina had chemical burns, but luckily she still had her eyesight.

Vitalina headed to the police station still covered in red paint, where her attackers sat by reception after being detained. Vitalina was forced by a police officer to state her home address right in the hearing distance of her attackers. Vitalina felt unsafe and scared again.

Activism:
After the success of the community centre Vitalina decided to begin volunteering for Amnesty Internationa l.