LGBTQ+ situation in Poland: From Anna Grodzka to today - DYKKA.com

Source: Fot. TT/Gazeta Polska

This year marks 12 years since Anna Grodzka, Poland's first transgender MP, was elected to the Sejm. However, Poland certainly cannot boast of a respectful approach to LGBT+ people. What is the situation for queer people in the land of polka and mazurka?

While a large percentage of LGBTQ+ people around the world probably face discrimination, Poland is one of the countries where these acts occur openly. The international human rights organization Amnesty International describes how Poland experiences homophobic attacks by politicians, the declaration of LGBTQ+-free zones in individual municipalities, violence against queer people, and also the prohibition of sex education.

Similar to the Czech Republic, some politicians in Poland consider queer individuals to be an ideology, or rather propagators of an ideology, that threatens society or Christianity. However, this approach is not only found among political representatives in Poland but also among owners/operators of bars, restaurants, pubs, and media, where "LGBTI+-free zone" labels appear.

The situation of LGBTQ+ people in Poland is, of course, noticed by people outside the country. The international organization ILGA-Europe, which monitors the human rights of queer individuals in European states, has even created a timeline of hate attacks against LGBTQ+ individuals. It includes the ban on pride marches in Lublin and Rzeszów, vans with anti-queer slogans, protests with images of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa with a rainbow halo, and much more.

It was precisely the attack by a van with a homophobic slogan and its driver that led to Polish activist Margot from the Stop Bzdura collective spending several weeks in custody. She was not the only one to fall victim to Polish repression against queer activists in the country: the police arrested several dozen people protesting her arrest the day after.

Is there any hope that the situation in Poland will change? It doesn't look like it yet. In the second half of the year, the country faces elections to the Sejm and Senate, but opinion polls show the conservative PiS (Law and Justice) party, which won the last elections, in the lead. The Catholic Church also has an enormous social influence in Poland, and its Polish leadership is not favorable to LGBTQ+ rights.