LGBTQ Ukrainian refugee couple find acceptance among Alberta hosts – Calgary | Globalnews.ca

When the war started in Ukraine, Yevhenia Vasylkova and Kristina Hulyanych made the difficult decision to leave their families.

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“At first we were just running away from fear. It felt good, but then at some point, when you don’t see your family and friends, you are thinking whether this is the right choice or not,” said Vasylkova, a graphic designer from Kyiv.

She said that her sister does not want to leave Ukraine because she has a husband who is not allowed to leave.

“It’s a difficult decision for people to leave because you have a life there and people have careers and families,” Vasylkova said. “It’s hard to leave, especially knowing that you will be so far away from your family.”

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His decision to come to Canada was based on safety, economy and acceptance.

“A lot of people lost their jobs. That was one of the biggest things. We wanted to go to a place where at least one of us had a job,” Vasylkova said. “And we also wanted to find an LGBTQ-friendly country. Canada is one of the most”.

The young couple was careful to find a host family. They contacted an LGBTQ+ organization, which reached out to a settlement center that reached out to Hillhurst United Church in Calgary, known for its values ​​of inclusion.

“That’s why we wanted to go through an organization,” Vasylkova said. “Because we were worried that not everyone would be happy to welcome us as a couple, so we wanted to make sure we found the right people who would be fine with us and a dog.”

“It was a huge concern,” added Anne Yates-Laberge, executive director of Hillhurst United Church. “A lesbian family that came and a dog. Sometimes it’s really hard when you have people who are on different pages with what they think is a family structure.

“The Newcomers Center approached us because they knew Hillhurst’s values ​​are acceptable.”

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Lynne and Angelo Dalcin, longtime church members, picked up their new Ukrainian guests at the Calgary airport over the long weekend in May.

“We watch the news every morning,” Lynne said from her home in Airdrie. “I’m a bit soft and I cried every morning watching the news about Ukraine and when we decided to do this I stopped crying so I thought it was the right thing to do.”

The Airdrie couple’s four adult children have moved out of the house, so they said they have the space.

“This has been an experience of a lifetime meeting these girls and we are so thankful for that,” Lynne said. “They are beautiful souls and we love having them in our home. I think they are very, very brave to do this. This is hard.

Host couple Angelo and Lynne Dalcin with their Ukrainian guests Kristina Hulyanych and Yevhenia Vasylkova.

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Many Ukrainians are fleeing to Poland and Hungary, but those countries restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people. In Ukraine, same-sex couples cannot marry or adopt children.

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Russia formally banned same-sex marriage two years ago.

Vasylkova said that while Ukraine still has a long way to go, it was making progress in terms of accepting LGBTQ people.

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“I think Canada is one of the most progressive countries in the world when it comes to LGBTQ rights and Ukraine is not the most progressive place,” Vasylkova said. “Now we have pride parades and stuff like that, so it’s changing, but Canada is further along in this process.”

Both Vasylkova and her partner describe their hosts as “perfect”.

“We are very lucky,” he said. “I didn’t know what I expected, but this is the best situation.

“They are very open to our experience and us being together and very kind to our dog.”

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