Stop 15150

Three versions of the Civil Code.Not one in which we exist

In response to the registration in the Verkhovna Rada of yet another draft Civil Code (No. 15150) and of its earlier versions (No. 14394, No. 14394-1, No. 14394-2), we ran the information campaign “Stop 15150”.

Even though the bill was served up as a “European integration reform”, in the part that concerns family law it threatens to throw the country years backwards: it legally “erases” LGBTQI+ people, cancels the existing positive court practice, restricts women’s rights, and brings subjective conservative notions such as “good morals” back into the legal field.

Under public pressure the authors of the draft changed its number and removed only a few of the most scandalous provisions, but they left its discriminatory essence unchanged. We brought the document’s main threats to light and communicated them to society and to international partners.

About the campaign

The main threats of the draft

Complete non-recognition of LGBTQI+ families

It was proposed that a de facto family union be recognized exclusively between a woman and a man (Art. 1474, 1875), and that foreign same-sex partnerships or marriages be ignored.

Stripping away basic rights

No inheritance by law for LGBTQI+ couples (Art. 1759), a ban on adoption (Art. 1660), and restrictions on disposing of one’s own biological material in favor of a partner (Art. 1735).

A blow to the rights of transgender people

A requirement that a marriage be automatically declared invalid as of the day it was registered if one of the spouses legally changes their gender (Art. 1495).

Discrimination against women’s rights

The return of risky provisions on “immoral behavior” as grounds for depriving a person of their surname (Art. 1516), forced reconciliation in a divorce (Art. 1513), and the use of the evaluative category of “good morals” (Art. 6).

We do not need permission to be a family.We need a law

To turn dry legal articles into human language that society can understand, we filmed a series of video stories about real Ukrainian LGBTQI+ couples. It was a series in video format, built on living, sincere storytelling without rehearsed scripts.

Living footage and real emotions. We showed parallel worlds — on the one hand, the warm everyday life of the couples (breakfast together in the kitchen, walks with coffee, picnics, working from home, movie nights), their real love and support; on the other, complete legal invisibility in the eyes of the state.
Honest stories. The participants shared the moments when they first felt that the state does not see them, described their real fears caused by the absence of a law, and explained how their lives would change if civil partnerships were recognized.
The climax and the demand. Every video ended with a strong and firm appeal from the couple addressed directly to the members of parliament.

“We exist, and we demand: revise the draft Civil Code with mandatory public consultation. Hear the people whose lives you are writing laws about. We do not need permission to be a family. We need a law!”