Earlier this month I had the pleasure of hearing Equality Minister Katarzyna Kotula speak at the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit in Warsaw, Poland. I could feel a buzz of excitement and change fill the audience; speaking of a more accepting Poland, she mentioned that later that day she would be working on same-sex marriage legislation: same-sex marriage is not recognized in Poland. With the new government, under Donald Tusk, it seems like there is a lot of hope for the Polish population. However, what moves incited this identity shift- as constructivists would call it?
This all started with the European Court of Human Rights ruling in December. The court rightfully declared that Poland’s lack of legal recognition and protection for same-sex couples and marriages was a human rights violation; Poland, for a long time now, has been listed as the worst country in the EU in terms of homophobia. However, this particular ruling, coinciding with the election of the new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, spotlighted the urgent need for change.
In fact, Civic Platform, Tusk’s party, had already introduced same-sex civil partnerships before the court's ruling on their platform. Furthermore, the promise of a better more accepting Poland was a key part of Civic Platform’s platform in the elections.
However, it's not all that smooth sailing. Some conservative elements within the government, especially the Polish People’s Party, aren’t exactly on board with the idea. Their resistance did halter the speed of the bill being announced, highlighting the ongoing debate and struggle within Polish politics and policies over LGBTQ+ rights.
However, while all may seem ideal, it is still possible that President Duda could veto the bill. So, while the bill’s introduction is a big step forward, there’s still a lot of work to be done and there is a possibility that the bill will not go through. Essentially, if and when the bill is passed through parliament, Duda gets the final say in writing it into law. The majority (60-70%) of Poland supports civic partnerships, and Duda has mentioned before that he also supports them; however, that is now unclear. In fact, in June 2020, he signed the "Family Charter" of election proposals, this charter sought to prevent gay couples from marrying or adopting children and wanted to ban teaching about LGBT issues in schools.
The push for same-sex civil partnerships in Poland is part of a broader fight for equality and human rights, and the country’s relationship with LGBTQ+ policies is complicated. However, despite the threat of a Duda veto, there is hope for the future.
For more information here are some sources:
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