Discrimination and values ​​– why the conflict with the UKU through LGBT symbols has a profound resonance

on September 2, filmmaker Natalia Vorozhbyt posted on her Facebook page that her daughter Paraska Kurochkina was denied accommodation at the Ukrainian Catholic University's college on the grounds that a rainbow emoji was found on her Instagram and that public support for the LGBT community contradicts the values of the Catholic university.

UCU responded to Vorozhbyt's post: both the director's post and the reaction to it caused a wave of public discussion. LIGA.net collected reactions from the networks.

Statement by director Natalia Vorozhbyt

Diviner saidshe said that 12 days before the start of her studies, she received a letter of refusal to stay at the college. The reason for the refusal, according to the director, was an emoji with an LGBT flag on the Instagram of her daughter Paraska Kurochkina. She considers it discrimination:

"I wrote an emotional letter to the emails listed on the website, and I got a call. Honestly, I was hoping that this conversation would fix the situation, because the call came not from the college, but from the university. That they would apologize and offer a solution... The lady in charge of communication confirmed that the checkbox was the reason for the rejection, she had seen the screen from Instagram with her own eyes. She also fully shares the position of the college on this issue and believes, and I quote, that "it's like hanging a Russian flag on your avatar," the artist said in a statement.

According to Vorozhbyt, Paraska was offered a place in an apartment for teachers, as there were no more vacancies in the college. The university promised to provide her with accommodation if she deleted the emoji from her social media and promised not to promote LGBT people within UCU. The freshman refused to fulfill these conditions and eventually withdrew her documents from the university. Later, the director's daughter entered the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

UCU's response

The university confirmed that the issue concerned accommodation in the collegium, but emphasized that the values of the institution were respected.

Thus, the university published an official answer of the rector of the university dated August 22, 2025, at the request of Paraskeva Kurochkina, where he noted that the selection to the collegium is made on a competitive basis and according to certain criteria. The rector's letter reads:

"This year we received many more applications than the number of available places in the program. The competition was fierce, and the college administration had a really difficult choice to make. Unfortunately, we had to reject more than 15 applicants."

The administration stated that the decision-making process is guided by the following criteria: understanding of UCU's mission and values; motivation to participate in the formation program; knowledge of and willingness to comply with the rules of residence in the collegium.

At the same time, UCU expressed that they regret that the freshman's refusal to participate in the educational and formative program was perceived as a restriction on her studies at UCU.

What the media and the public say

The story caused a wave of reactions on social media and among public figures.

Media critic and journalist Otar Dovzhenko pointed out on the underlying problem: "Institutionalized homophobia at UCU has a purely religious basis, that is, it is not the choice of the people who created the university; it comes as a package with a worldview and a system of values.

I'll say more: if you like UCU as a place – beautiful modern buildings, the campus, all this – then without institutionalized homophobia, unfortunately, all this would not have happened. Because the financial model of the university's existence is largely dependent on the most conservative part of the Ukrainian diaspora in North American countries."

Journalist, writer and blogger Markiyan Prokhasko notedthe official position of the Catholic Church does not include tolerance of LGBT people: "But it is not a secret that officially Christianity does not tolerate LGBT people. Whether it is right or wrong is another question. And by "right or wrong" I do not mean the moral aspect: "good or bad," because morality is also relative."

Public figure and lecturer at the Business School of the Ukrainian Catholic University Valery Pekar emphasized on the need for a balanced discussion: "... I am a categorical opponent of any discrimination based on any grounds (the exception is Russians, because of the war), and in the confrontation between a person and an institution, I will always be on the side of human rights [...] A private university has the right to set its own rules, and this is the case all over the world. If the rules don't suit you, look for another university."

Journalist and co-founder of the "European Pravda" Sergiy Sydorenko wrote: "The moment of truth is coming for UCU right now. I think they have not yet realized the scale of the challenge, but it is incredible. They have now chosen the side of Russia, and this is no exaggeration. Personally, I do not see cooperation with the university and participation in their events as possible until they take real steps to remedy the situation. I hope these steps will take place."

UCU's second statement

Ukrainian Catholic University published a second statement in connection with the criticism over the refusal to enroll her daughter Natalia Vorozhbyt in the educational and formative program "Christian Spirituality in the Postmodern Era."

In a statement, the university apologizes for "unsuccessful communication" and explains that the program involves a conscious desire of students to deepen their Christian life, and accommodation at the Collegium depends on enrollment. UCU notes that a candidate whose main motive is only accommodation, not spiritual development, may be rejected.

The rector's office also emphasized the importance of improving the decision to admit applicants, the format of interviews, and communication about the program's criteria.

"The format for such a discussion is the rules of civilized debate, not the slamming of each other from ideological positions. Such a discussion should be reasonable, not a platform for propaganda of any anti-Christian ideology," the post says.