A court in Kyiv has banned what would have been Ukraine's first Gay Pride parade.
The court on May 23 upheld a suit by Kyiv authorities, who say the rally, which gay rights activists had planned to hold on May 25, would disrupt celebrations for the annual Kyiv Day that will take place on the same day.
The court said the rally also risked sparking violence.
Last year, Gay Pride organizers had to cancel the event at the last minute after skinheads gathered at its planned location in protest.
Although Ukraine decriminalized homosexuality in the early 1990s, hostility against gays and lesbians remains rife there and in other former Soviet nations.
The Orthodox Church has also taken a strong stand against homosexuals.
The court on May 23 upheld a suit by Kyiv authorities, who say the rally, which gay rights activists had planned to hold on May 25, would disrupt celebrations for the annual Kyiv Day that will take place on the same day.
The court said the rally also risked sparking violence.
Last year, Gay Pride organizers had to cancel the event at the last minute after skinheads gathered at its planned location in protest.
Although Ukraine decriminalized homosexuality in the early 1990s, hostility against gays and lesbians remains rife there and in other former Soviet nations.
The Orthodox Church has also taken a strong stand against homosexuals.
