Top Zelensky advisor under fire for calling LGBT people 'deviants'

On June 21, the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ non-profit KyivPride group posted a clip of an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that LGBTQ people are "people with disabilities" and a "deviation from the norm."

On Twitter, KyivPride posted a clip of military advisor Oleksiy Arestovych saying the disparaging remarks in a speech that has ignited controversy over LGBTQ+ in Ukraine.

According to Pink News, KyivPride has called on Zelenskyy to remove Arestovych, saying that "'such rhetoric from authorities is unacceptable' in light of Ukraine’s bid to join the EU."

Arestovych responded to the criticisms on Facebook by posting a photo of himself in drag and wrote, "The LGBT community is outraged and talking about my resignation. But look at this photo and you’ll understand who should be truly outraged. I think I’m being persecuted, no? I demand tolerance."

Like President Zelenskyy, Arestovych was once an actor and the drag photo was snapped during his days of performing.

Ukraine is currently ensconced in a war with Russia, after the latter invaded Ukrainian territory in February of this year.

The efforts to support Ukraine have led the Biden Administration to send billions of dollars in aide to the Eastern European country. While Ukraine was denied entry to NATO, the EU is expected to grant the country candidate status.

The Ukrainian constitution defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, a definition Zelenskyy upheld when he signed the recent the Istanbul Convention bill which is designed to combat violence towards women.

Like Russian, Ukraine has often been heavily criticized by Western countries for being regressive on LGBTQ+ issues. Zelenskyy has not done anything radical to shift that status quo and he has not signaled any intention to release Arestovych