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September, 2003 saw a first, albeit small, public gay pride demonstration. Gay people, however, are pretty closeted, a byproduct of de facto discrimination and cultural homophobia. HIV/AIDS is also a major problem throughout the former Soviet Union, but the Ukraine has the most aggressive HIV prevention programs.

The Ukraine achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 (that same year homosexuality was decriminalized) and since then has grappled with finding its own identity. The national language is Ukrainian, but most everyone in Kiev speaks, and some even prefer, Russian. I noticed when I said “thank you” in Ukrainian (dyakooyoo) I received sneers or went ignored. When I used the Russian term (spaceeba) it was all smiles and nods. Both languages utilize the Cyrillic alphabet, and having a basic understanding or recognition (or at least a Cyrillic map of the city) is pretty imperative for getting around.

As a city, Kiev is both exactly alike and unlike what I had preconceived. Ancient, yes, but with flashes of 21st Century modernity. Beneath old buildings and streets is an elaborate maze of mall stores and passageways. Cell phones are everywhere (I recommend buying a SIM chip and pay-as-you-go card when traveling anywhere outside the USA these days). The underground Metro system is fast and cheap (20 cents per green plastic token), although intimidating. Doors crash closed without warning or mercy. Be aggressive and fast if you want in or out! Kiev denizens are proudly cosmopolitan, dressing in plenty of black leather and fabrics. Many women don white knee-high boots, super-short skirts, and dark eye makeup.

Molodist proves unique right away. Festival guests stay in small rooms in a docked leisure boat on the Dnipro River. A short walk from the river is a busy road and, over it, a wobbly metal footbridge (locals claim it’s designed to weave back and forth as cars pass underneath.) The bridge leads to a McDonald’s restaurant and the Kiev Funicular. Glance up the hill and you can see the iconic St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

Gay people populate all aspects of Molodist, from the festival staff offices to the theaters and certainly onboard the boat. A German friend generously put me in contact with a group of enormously upbeat, inquisitive, and energetic lesbians. One of these Ukrainian lesbians is Alyona, an Odin Z Nas journalist. She’s happily partnered with a woman named Sasha, yet married to an out gay man—a “beard” situation to appease her parents. This in-and-out dichotomy seems to be the norm.

Alyona and I walk up the steep Andriyivsky Uzviz Street, which is lined with souvenir stalls, funky bars, restaurants, and a theater. We buy cheap CDs and DVDs at the very inexpensive Petrivka Market (located at the Petrivka Metro stop), and visit Shevchenko Park. During daylight hours, Kiev State University students hang out here, some with a beer in hand. There isn’t a drinking age or public drinking restriction, so plenty of 13-year-olds gather near city benches with a bottle of booze after school. One can buy any variety of beer and interesting bottled cocktails at makeshift “bars”—an old desk or table on the sidewalk. The dismal Ukrainian economy has spawned all sorts of interesting homegrown businesses. In Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) people dress in random character costumes (I spot Alf and a Teletubby) and pass a hat for money, or, as one man did, place a live falcon on your shoulder and charge a dollar per photo. Need to make a phone call? One fellow had five cell phones attached to him by strings.

Then there’s prostitution. Come dusk, married men flock to Shevchenko Park’s public restrooms for quick anonymous sex or to pick up a young hustler. Tragically, the Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and other ex-Soviet countries are approaching HIV/AIDS pandemic status, to which clandestine, unsafe gay sex contributes. Rampant drug use and prostitution, spawned by the dismal economy, are main factors. In one Dnepropetrovsk region village, fifty-percent of the population is HIV+.

Even backpacking Westerners magically become Rockefellers in the Ukraine. Eating out is a luxury for most locals, but cafeteria-style restaurants are an affordable favorite. One can select from sprawling dirt-cheap spreads of a la carte dishes like Chicken Kiev, potato or cheese Varenniki dumplings, or cold salads and cakes. Ukrainian food is hearty and delicious, although there’s an endless array of national cuisines, from Japanese to French, available in sophisticated Kiev these days.

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