Ukrainian Churches and the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Ukraine: Being Europe Without Accepting “Gender”

Abstract

For religious communities in Ukraine, the struggle about “gender” has become a contest about their commitment to the European integration of the country. Although Ukraine participated in drafting the Istanbul Convention and was among its first signatories, the churches in Ukraine prohibited its ratification until the latest. The article explores the encounter of Ukrainian churches with the ideas of the Istanbul Convention, analyses the national and transnational alliances, which affect the debate, and explains the challenge to combine pro-European sentiments and anti-genderism.