A male entertainer with fake breasts sprinkled the congregation with ‘holy water’ during a performance
A stage act at a gay club in Ukraine’s capital Kiev on Easter Sunday featured a mock Christian ritual, according to a video said to have been filmed at the event.
Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, is being celebrated by both Orthodox and Western Christians this year on April 20.
The clip, which was shared by Ukrainian Telegram channels on Monday, captured performers on stage at the Portum gay club making a mockery of Asperges, the rite of sprinkling the congregation with holy water.
A drag queen with fake breasts was filmed sprinkling water from a large bowl on cheering party-goers with ‘Judas’ by US pop star Lady Gaga playing in the background.
Footage of the performance upset many Ukrainians, quickly gaining thousands of angry emoji reactions. One of the commentators branded the stage events “a sick theater,” while another called upon God to take mercy on the entertainers.
18+ Украина, Киев , 20 апреля 2025 Вечеринка на Пасху в киевском гей-клубе «Портум»
On Good Friday, April 18, an LGBTQ film festival, Sunny Bunny, opened in Kiev, outraging many local Christians and some politicians. It is running during Easter Week and is scheduled to conclude on Friday.
Last weekend, the police detained multiple people after protesters from a right-wing group, Prava Molod, clashed with police outside the event at the Zhovten movie theater.
Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko branded the LGBTQ film festival “a provocation against Ukrainian traditions, faith, and the frontline soldiers who have died with a prayer on their lips.”
However, the organizers of the event have defended it, arguing that “Ukraine is a secular state where people of different faiths and beliefs live side by side. In a secular country, a variety of events, from theater to cinema, take place on any given holiday, and Sunny Bunny is just one of them.”
The LGBTQ movement has been trying to raise its profile in Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia, with the activists framing it as a statement of defiance. These groups have also launched fundraisers to purchase drones for Kiev’s armed forces and encouraged supporters to contribute.
Russia banned “LGBT propaganda” in 2022 and last year designated the LGBT movement as a terrorist organization.
