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AquaLatex (27), a drag performer based in Kyiv, Ukraine, sits on her bed. Born in Kherson, a city in Southern Ukraine, AquaLatex is part of a community that finds temporary refuge in spaces of performance, refuge and resistance.
This image is part of the ongoing long-term project Here, We Find Safety., which explores everyday places such as dressing rooms, beauty salons, and other intimate interiors in Kyiv and across Ukraine, where queer people gather, celebrate, and exist without fear. These safe spaces play a vital role within the queer community, offering moments of affirmation, connection and visibility in the face of ongoing marginalisation.
Support for LGBTQIA+ people in Ukraine has risen sharply in recent years, driven in part by the visible role queer Ukrainians have played in defending the country since Russia’s 2022 invasion. At the same time, the war has exposed ongoing vulnerabilities in a country with a long history of discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities.
