Sopot, Poland vice-mayor Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim (R) with LGBTQ marchers. (Photo courtesy Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim)
The majority of Polish people support LGBTQ rights surrounding marriage and family, according to research by Miłość Nie Wyklucza (Love Does Not Exclude).
The survey found 56% of respondents believe same-sex marriage should be legal to ensure the safety of their children. Even more, 65%, said they felt “a biological parent raising a child with a same-sex partner” fits the definition of family and 58% of people said a same-sex couple is a family even without children.
According to Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland is one of only six European Union member states where same-sex couples cannot marry or register a civil partnership.
Love Does Not Exclude, which is committed to gaining marriage equality on Poland, also found that 65% of respondents said they would have nothing against LGBTQ families adopting or using in vitro fertilization as long as they were sure that children raised by same-sex couples would develop the same as those raised by heterosexual couples.
Both adoption and IVF are currently outlawed for same-sex couples in Poland.
The survey reveals a stark difference between the Polish government and public opinion on LGBTQ rights.
According to a 2021 ILGA-Europe report, Poland ranked dead last in LGBTQ rights compared to other EU nations.
Poland has also drawn condemnations from the EU for its discriminatory laws surrounding LGBTQ people.
In September, the European Commission threatened to withhold pandemic relief funds, totaling over 126 million euros ($150 million), in Polish jurisdictions that passed measures forming “LGBTQ Free Zones.”
Some regions have since repealed the anti-LGBTQ resolution.
In 2020, Poland narrowly re-elected President Andrzej Duda, who ran a campaign that regularly attacked the LGBTQ community, according to Pink News.
Polish LGBTQ advocates are also pushing back against a proposed law that would ban the so-called “promotion” of LGBTQ lifestyles. It would also make Pride parades illegal.
