QUOTE OF THE DAY: Ukraine War Zone Isn’t ‘Very Rainbow Friendly’
Amid a Russian assault on Kyiv, CBS News on Tuesday spotlighted a transgender resident of the Ukrainian capital’s personal battle against “discrimination.”
THE QUOTE
In the segment, Zi Faamelu, a biological man who identifies as female, described being stuck at home for fear of the violence and transphobia raging outside.
Transgender acceptance in Ukraine is not widespread, and changing legal documents to match gender requires a long process with psychiatric examinations. CBS News spoke with one woman in Kyiv who is now battling a "war within a war" amid Russia's invasion https://t.co/DJ6vFwmLuR pic.twitter.com/7Qp4eTCGMt
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 1, 2022
“This is not a very rainbow-friendly place, so lives for trans people are very bleak here,” Faamelu said. “A war within a war, truly, truly.”
- “If you have male gender in your passport, they will not let you go abroad, they will not let you through,” explained Faamelu, whose passport reads “male.”
- Ukrainian authorities have barred men ages 18-60 from leaving the country in case they are needed to fight the Russian invasion.