Same-sex couple feel 'safe' in Derbyshire after fleeing Ukraine

One of the refugees said living in Belper was like being in a movie or English TV show

A same-sex couple who fled Ukraine have been welcomed into a home in Derbyshire after a woman and her wife offered to host LGBT refugees.

They were put in contact after a friend of the refugee couple read a BBC article.

One of the refugees, Tetiana, said living in the town of Belper was like being "inside some English TV show".

The BBC is not using photos of the couple as they were not openly in a relationship in Ukraine.

'Against family tradition'

Sarah Barley-McMullen, who is hosting them with her wife Helen, said LGBT couples face more discrimination in Ukraine than they do in the UK.

"You are going against the family tradition and the Russian Orthodox Church," said Mrs Barley-McMullen, who is chair of Pride in Belper.

"You will then be accused of trying to destroy the culture and the identity of the country.

"It's so important that LGBT people from Ukraine are able to come to the UK and feel safe, often for the first time in their lives."

Tetiana and Yulia had fish and chips in Belper River Gardens as part of a "cultural tour" of the town

Tetiana said she and her partner Yulia were struck by how beautiful their new home is.

"It's a very funny thing because our first and second and even third impression is we are in some movie, we are inside some English TV show, maybe Murder She Wrote, maybe Agatha Christie," she said.

"It's the setting for movies, for shows, because people cannot live in such a beautiful place. And very English, you know."

But they still miss their own apartment, where they had lived for 10 years.

"Now I'm safe, I'm in a very wonderful place, I'm surrounded by wonderful people, but still, where is my home? Where is my former life? It's not here no more," said Tetiana.

Sarah said previous media coverage had led to them being put in touch with the couple

Tetiana and Yulia had been temporarily living in Hungary and then Germany after fleeing their apartment in Ukraine.

Mrs Barley-McMullen said the visa process was more complicated because Yulia is Russian and the couple could not get married in Ukraine.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in the UK since 2014, but is not legal in Ukraine.

"There was a fear one of them couldn't get a visa, because they have no legal rights together as a couple," said Mrs Barley-McMullen.

"My wife and I had to write a letter to the visa office saying we would only accept them as an unmarried couple."

Sarah Barley-McMullen is chair of Pride in Belper

They have now set up a group called OUT!Standing for Ukraine, for people in Derbyshire who want to support LGBT refugees.

One problem, Mrs Barley-McMullen said, is that the government's Homes for Ukraine scheme does not allow people to specify they would welcome LGBT refugees.

"You can specify whether you are happy to house some refugees with a pet but there isn't anything around sexuality or gender identity," she said.

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