Poland is quickly becoming the latest European nation facing a shift in regards to LGBTQ rights, with the government’s anti-LGBTQ rhetoric continuing after another election win, and an increasing number of emboldened activists organizing in opposition. The Polish government has come under criticism from the EU and other Western nations in recent months due to their increased vilification of the LGBTQ community. The Law and Justice Party (PiS) has been unafraid to point out what they call “LGBT ideology”: the notion that the LGBTQ community pose a threat to Poles, particularly families, and in turn changing their way of life. Going so far as to call this “ideology” more destructive than communism they have also given funding to six towns that embrace their own status as LGBT-free zones after the EU denied these towns grants from their municipal twinning program over the towns declarations. A “Stop Pedophilia” bill was introduced into the Sejm (Poland’s Parliament), aiming to change the criminal law code to criminalize the inclusion of sexuality studies or reproductive health in sexual education courses to minors and is being postponed indefinitely. The government has also used the state broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) to promote their platform, but faced pushback with a recent ruling from the District Court of Warsaw banning the publication of “Invasion”, an anti-LGBTQ production posted to their official YouTube channel.
A vast majority of Poland’s government sanctioned homophobia is rooted in the Catholic teachings and their interpretations. In a 2018 Pew Research Center survey, it was found that 87% of Poles identify as Roman Catholic. Most also follow their Central/Eastern European counterparts in being more active in the Church and identifying as conservative. A number of Polish clergymen are vocal in their political stances on this issue, standing firmly against any progress in LGBTQ rights. In Krakow, Archbishop Marek Jedraszewski warned in a 2019 homily of what he described as a neo-marxist “new plague [...] not red, but rainbow,” referring to the rainbows usage as a symbol of the LGBTQ community. PiS has leveraged anti-LGBT Catholic doctrines as a rallying cry for this and other social issues, arguing that they are threats to the family and the Polish way of life.
The radical pro-LGBTQ campaigning spearheaded by Stop Bzudrom (stop nonsense) has gained attention this year for their more confrontational protest methods. For example, when vans associated with Fundacja Pro , an organization that drove vans around various cities with messages promoting a connection between homosexuality and pedophilia showed up in various Polish cities, Stop Bzudrom had damaged them earlier in June in an act of protest against their messaging. Activist Margot Szutowicz (commonly referred to by their first name), a member of Stop Bzudrom, was arrested in July by undercover cops but was able to be issued bail. On August 3, Margot was arrested again, along with Lania (no last name provided), another activist from the campaign, on the grounds of “insulting religious feelings and insulting Warsaw monuments” after placing rainbow pride flags on various monuments. Pushback to their arrest was widespread: multiple arrests were made after days of confrontational protests between police and protestors. On October 1, an attempt was made on a Stop Bzudrom activist to push them under a tram in Warsaw.
Similar action was taken on September 19, 2020, when an unknown group spray painted the Ministry of Education building with names of LGBTQ Poles who committed suicide. The public education system in Poland has been particularly contentious on this, with President Duda’s reelection campaign promising in their Family Card numerous anti-LGBTQ provisions, like banning education in schools, adoptions and others. Previous measures against an LGBTQ tolerance day were also quickly shut down by the government.
The Polish government had responded to this criticism by deflecting the blame onto the growing opposition speaking out against their policies at home and abroad. A recent program by TVP said it was countries like Germany and the US, not Poland, persecuting the LGBTQ community, and the government has most recently been pointing to activist Bartosz Staszewski, who has become popular due to his installations of signs denoting LGBT-free zones across Poland, and vocal interaction with international media on this issue.
PiS have also seen the push for LGBTQ rights as a threat coming from the EU. In July 2020, Polish justice minister Zbignew Ziboro stated his fear that ““There is a real risk that we may find ourselves in a situation where the EC (European Commission) will effectively force us to introduce the so-called homosexual marriages with the right to adopt children” Later in September, he responded again to the EU criticism, stating that various EU leaders and the European parliament sought “ to violate Polish democracy, through taking huge amounts of EU funds away from us, to blackmail us to force us to introduce changes in our social, cultural and educational lives." The EU has been critical of the PiS record on LGBTQ rights (albeit in a less assertive way) since the early years of Poland’s membership in the Union. However, some believe these statements from the EU are not enough, with Matt Beard of the international LGBTQ advocacy group AllOut saying that "the EU's words really need to be put into action". As issues regarding rule of law and decreasing civil liberties cause rifts between the Polish government, the EU and other nations like the UK and Canada, LGBTQ rights are becoming an increasingly contentious point between them.
Local leaders in this movement for LGBTQ rights remain cautious about what lies ahead. Polish LGBTQ activist Justyna Boloz said in an interview with Dazed that “the Polish Stonewall is yet to come.” Both conservative/Catholic groups and independent LGBTQ organizations are ramping up their efforts and show no signs of letting up. In a 2019 IPSOS survey of Poles under 40, “gender ideology and [the] LGBT movement” was chosen by 31% of male respondents and 24% of total respondents, male and female, as the main threat to Poland (the climate crisis came in first). These numbers increase with younger men and PiS supporters. This growing negative perception of LGBTQ people and activism has also translated into violence targeting mass gatherings, like Pride marches. In the city of Lublin, a heterosexual couple was arrested for bringing a makeshift bomb to the city’s pride march in 2019.
There are some who are more optimistic after recent developments. Teacher, writer and cultural researcher Marta Konarzewska said in an interview with Dazed that “Those who are fighting for freedom and autonomy now in Poland are very young, sometimes children. [...] and it’s these same people who are captured, detained, and punished by the police.” As PiS continue to frame homophobia through the lenses of family protection, Polish values and critiques of liberal democracy, there is a growing community of LGBTQ people and allies standing up to this prevalent rhetoric. A growing number of pro-LGBTQ activists are seeing opportunities with membership in organizations, and protests becoming more frequent with more international news coverage. Dangers to the LGBTQ community are present daily, from microaggressions to harassment and threats to safety simply by perceptions of queerness. This is a fact that cannot be understated, particularly to those in rural areas and in conservative strongholds. In spite of this, recent protests and international pressure over the past year have mobilized more Poles than before, particularly young people and those in urban areas. Broader issues, like the increasing urban/rural divide, the economy, and a brain drain of mostly young people leaving the country for work/education, have made the issue of LGBTQ rights a scapegoat for PiS. While PiS continues to dominate the upper chambers of government and President Duda prepares for his second five-year term, all eyes are on Poland as the fight for LGBTQ rights reflects the threats to the relatively new but already challenged Polish democracy.