Fragmented identities
Legal recognition of same-sex unions and life trajectories of queer Ukrainian refugees in EU member states
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24226261 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maryna Shevtsova (0000-0002-0876-0712, KU Leuven) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-19 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-31 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Community (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-9586 • E-ISSN: 1469-9451 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1369183x.2026.2708446 |
| OpenAlex | W7204798802 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 36 |
This article examines how the legal recognition of same-sex relationships shaped the migration choices and settlement experiences of queer Ukrainian refugees displaced by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on qualitative interviews conducted with LGBTQI+ Ukrainians who received temporary protection in European Union Member States, the analysis focuses on queer women and trans people who migrated with partners or children. It compares experiences in Austria and Germany, where same-sex relationships are legally recognised, with those in Poland and Slovakia, where they are not. The findings show that legal recognition rarely determined the initial destination, which was more strongly influenced by existing social networks, safety and practical considerations. However, it became increasingly important for long-term settlement, enabling greater social legitimacy, institutional recognition and family security. By contrast, participants in Poland and Slovakia described the need to conceal their relationships, greater economic precarity, and persistent fears of discrimination despite access to temporary protection. The article also highlights the experiences of mixed nationality couples, trans people, and polyamorous families whose situations expose the limits of existing refugee and family migration frameworks. It argues that, beyond being a formal right, legal recognition also matters as a mechanism through which belonging, care and family legitimacy are negotiated in conditions of forced migration.
Austria · Discrimination · family migration · Germany · legal recognition of same-sex unions · Poland · polyamorous families · queer refugees · queer women · Russian invasion of Ukraine · same-sex unions · settlement experiences · Slovakia · temporary protection · Transgender people · Ukrainian refugees · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Migration and Exile Studies · Migration, Refugees, and Integration
Enacting intimate citizenship
Queer marriage migration beyond the couple
Same-sex marriage and migration
Social Consequences of Forced and Refugee Migration
The Sexual Politics of Asylum
Thematic analysis.
In Bed With the State? Queer and Trans Migrations Through Marriage
Marriage Patterns Among Portuguese-Brazilian Couples
Beyond the Western gaze
LGBTQ+ Persons’ Experiences of Parenthood in the Context of Maternal and Child Health Care
Choosing to stay? Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people and the war in Ukraine
Queer kinship and the rights of refugee families
Same-sex marriage and the pinkwashing of state migration controls
Solidarity test
Living Outside Protocol
Doing Family Before the State. Does Recognition of De Facto Families Lead to More Inclusive Migration Law Practices
The limits of choice
There is Absolutely No Discrimination Based on that Allowed”
Legal Violence and (In)Visible Families
Queer Migration in Homonationalist Times
Jigsaw Migration
Consequences of forced migration
Paving Pathways Through the Pain
Intimate mobilities
Housing policy with violent outcomes - the domestication of queer asylum seekers in a heteronormative society
Class, mobility and inequality in the lives of same-sex couples with mixed legal statuses
Outsider Exemption
Getting to the Pink Picket Fence
The state's sexual desires
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |