City of Kyiv Adorns Coat of Arms With Pride Rainbow

KYIV — At the beginning of June, the official Facebook page of the Kyiv City State Administration adorned its profile picture with the Pride rainbow in commemoration of what LGBTQ individuals and supporters celebrate as Pride Month. 

To the dismay of many, the profile picture is the City of Kyiv’s coat of arms, which depicts St. Michael the Archangel.

On June 2, the official Facebook page of the Kyiv City State Administration posted that the city had joined “the nationwide enlightenment campaign within Pride Month.”

On June 3, the Facebook page switched the profile picture back to the regular coat of arms sans Pride colors. Along with the change, the page posted the following:

In June, Kyiv joined the nationwide Pride Month campaign, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, equality, and accessibility in the public space. 

Changing the avatar in social networks was a symbolic gesture of support on the way to equality. Today we’re back to the standard visual style of the page while keeping the focus on the main thing – daily work to keep Kyiv open, comfortable, and accessible to everyone.

Thank you to everyone who joined the discussion – dialogue in society is part of the democratic process. Respect, dignity, and security are basic principles governed by urban authorities.

The campaign will host trainings on inclusive communication and research on the accessibility of urban government communication is ongoing. The focus remains on specific measures that promote inclusivity in the urban space.

Many individuals commented on the post, arguing that the previous profile picture was the desecration of a Christian symbol and an offensive use of propaganda.

“I thought the pride of state structures was her warriors who protect the entire state and these state structures! In Christian countries, pride is different!” one Facebook user commented.

Others thanked the page for its support of Pride Month, while some shared displeasure that the support from the page only lasted a short time.

The page itself responded to criticisms in the comments by saying that it was a “symbolic move” which accompanied training on “non-discrimination and inclusive communication.”

The page also said that the quick pivot away from the rainbow-adorned profile picture was not the “rejection of a decision,” as the decision to join an information campaign “involves not only marking the profile image.”

Previously, UOJ reported on a Ukrainian man facing prison for criticizing the use of the Ukrainian trident in churches and in religious iconography.

Read also