Over the past five years, Poland has been ranked as the worst country for LGBTQI people in the EU, according to the organization Ilga.
But now a change may be going on. The Polish Parliament is expected to approve a new law that allows same -sex couples to enter into partnership.
-If I had lived in another time, if I had had more courage, I might have had a chance to live my life with someone, says 64-year-old LGBTQI activist Kazimierz Strzelec to TV4 News broadcast in Lublin.
Poland is a country in rapid change. The economy is growing steadily and has made the country an economic miracle. Poland is now playing an increasingly important role as a diplomatic and military player, and the country’s cities are starting to remind you of trendy metropolises in Western Europe.
At the same time, the attitudes of LGBTQ rights have begun to change. From being a strictly conservative and Catholic country, today you see same -sex couples walk openly on Polish streets and squares.
Nevertheless, the country’s laws have not kept up with the development – until now. In 2025, the Polish Parliament, Sejm, is expected to vote through a law that allows same -sex partnerships. Although it does not give the same rights as for heterosexual couples, it is seen as a significant step forward.
– The most important thing is to get through the law now, because we do not know what the result of the next election will be, says Kazimierz Strzelec.
Could have lived another life
Kazimierz lives in a small room in the same house as his sister, in a village outside Lublin near the Ukrainian border in eastern Poland. When he came out as a gay in 2007, he was completely alone – he knew no one else in the entire region who dared to do the same.
Today there are associations, groups and even a gay bar in Lublin. Poland has changed, and soon same -sex couples can probably register their partnerships.
For Kazimierz, who works as a mechanic and proudly wears the rainbow flag on all his clothes – but is single – this new time comes with a certain bitter aftertaste. He is wondering what his life could look like if he was young today, when it is no longer associated with life to be gay in eastern Poland.
– If I had lived in another time, if I had had more courage, I might have had a chance to share life with someone, he says.