Polish LGBTQ+ Rights

Support for Polish LGBTQ+ Community

As support for Poland’s LGBTQ+ community has increased over time with the emergence of organizations being adamant in their support and allyship, the fight is not even close to being over, as they constantly face opposition from the country’s right-wing ruling party. IGLA-Europe, an LGBTQ+ rights organization in Europe and Central Asia, has rated Poland the worst-performing country in terms of LGBT+ rights, indicating that Poland is falling behind in their commitment to equality (BBC, 2020). 

In recent years, Polish government officials have revealed their disdain for the LGBTQ+ community. Just last year, Poland’s parliament rejected a bill that would acknowledge that hate crimes are motivated based on biases in gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and age (Roache, 2019). Furthermore, with current President Andrzej Duda winning re-election in July using anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns, this has felt like the final straw for the Polish LGBTQ+ community. Proposing several anti-LGBTQ+ rulings, such as pledging to prevent gay couples from marriage, adopting children, and banning LGBTQ-related education in schools, Duda has stated that the promotion of LGBT rights is a destructive ideology (BBC, 2020). 

For the Polish LGBTQ+ community, it has become unbearable having your government not acknowledge and respect your identity- so much so that some have chosen to leave the country. Polish citizen Piotr Grabarczyk expresses his dissatisfaction with Poland’s officials, “...fearing that bad things may happen to gay men like him and other LGBTQ+ people” (AP, 2020). Like many citizens of the Polish community, Grabarczyk believed that Poland would eventually become more accepting, as other countries in the European Union are pushing for LGBTQ rights. 

Having their own government officials attack their livelihood has left the Polish LGBTQ+ community feeling unheard and unprotected. Just in early August, thousands protested for the release of non-binary activist Margot Szutowicz, as highlighted on our Facebook page, who was “...accused of hanging flags on statues of Jesus and others and destroying a the van of an anti-abortionist” (Ptak, 2020). While the detained protestors and bystanders have started to be released, Szutowicz is still being held awaiting trial.

With this situation in Poland, what we see is almost typical of a religious, conservative country. While the LGBTQ+ community in the United States has made strides in their path to equality, we cannot forget about the travesties that are occurring overseas. Learn more about what Polish LGBTQ+ organizations are working on and support them here: https://transnational-queer-underground.net/lgbt-organizations-poland/.

References:

BBC. Polish election: Andrzej Duda says LGBT 'ideology' worse than communism. (2020, June 14). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53039864

Roache, M. (2019, July 03). How Far Have LGBTQ Rights Come in Poland? Retrieved from https://time.com/5619660/lgbt-rights-poland/

Ptak, A. (2020, August 08). Thousands protest in Poland demanding release of LGBT activist. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-lgbt/thousands-protest-in-poland-demanding-release-of-lgbt-activist-idUSKCN2540DM