CIVICUS discusses progress on LGBTQI+ rights in Poland with Annamaria Linczowska, Advocacy and Litigation Officer at Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH), a Polish LGBTQI+ rights group that works to counter violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity through political, social and legal advocacy.
Starting in 2019, around 100 Polish municipalities declared themselves ‘LGBT-free zones‘, passing resolutions against what they termed ‘LGBT ideology’. While primarily symbolic, these declarations fostered a hostile environment for LGBTQI+ people. Following persistent pressure from civil society and European institutions, these resolutions have gradually been withdrawn. When the municipality that initiated the movement officially rescinded its declaration in late 2023, it left only 15 such zones remaining. Now the final ‘LGBT-free zone’ resolution has been repealed.