Nikita Ponarin was violently attacked in the Ukraine. | Photo: Facebook
Two men who were the victims of a violent homophobic attack in Kiev have tried to use the incident to spread a positive message to young people.
A group of men took offence to Nikita Ponarin and his friend after spotting them walking in the Ukraine capital on Saturday.
The group did not like Ponarin’s septum nose ring, skinny jeans and the fact he was drinking wine instead of beer, ‘which is a man’s drink’.
‘They started saying to us “well fags, do you like to ass fuck?” and then started hitting us,’ Ponarin wrote on Facebook.
Ponarin said about five or six men attacked them on Saturday night, with one of the men wearing a balaclava.
Shockingly one also pointed a gun at Ponarin which left the victim ‘shaking’.
Ponarin downplayed his injuries saying he had to get stitches to his head and had bruising on his now and chest.
‘It’s all fixable,’ he said.
Going public
Ponarin decide to share what happened publicly to send a message to young people.
‘I think it’s important to talk about it. Not for empathy or pity, but for people to know that in 2018 there are still people assaulting other people because of their “orientation”,’ he said.
Ponarin said if the men beat him up because he was ‘protecting men in dresses’, he could accept that because he was doing the right thing.
‘Remember: neither your orientation nor your manner of behavior, nor what you drink / love / wear / watch / respect / do is something for others to give a fuck about,’ he wrote.
‘None of this makes you the worst person and in no way is not an excuse for violence. You’re not your fault.’
Despite his resilience after the attack, Ponarin announced he will move away from Kiev. He announced the move on Facebook with a photo of him holding his bloody jeans from the attack.
‘We’re moving out of town. I liked Kiev, despite all the difficulties,’ Ponarin wrote.
‘Rest assured, I won’t give up.’
Nikita Ponarin with his bloody jeans after he was attacked. | Photo: Facebook
LGBTI people regularly face violence in the Ukraine, including threats from far-right groups at public Pride events.
