For the past eight years, fear and anxiety has threaded through much of Bart Staszewski’s daily life. As a gay man living in Poland, he found himself increasingly under attack by a government that had sought to depict the LGBTQ+ community as a threat to the nation and its children, fuelling prejudices and hate crimes across the country.
But since last month’s election pointed to a possible route to power for opposition parties, Staszewski has been gripped by a wave of relief. “It’s like I’m breathing fresh air for the first time in eight years,” he said. “After years of hate against people like me, the nightmare is over.”
While the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) emerged from the election with the biggest share of the vote, there is no clear path for the rightwing populists to form a majority. The country could instead be governed by a coalition made up of the Civic Coalition, led by Donald Tusk, the centre-right Third Way and the leftist Lewica. » | Ashifa Kassam, European Community affairs correspondent | Wednesday, November 2023
In Poland, the home of ‘LGBT-free zones’, there is hope at last for the queer community: The former ruling party targeted and scapegoated Poland’s LGBTQ+ people. Now it’s out of power, equality is within reach »
It gladdens the heart to see that benighted politicians in Poland are being/have been thrown out of office by politicians with enlightened values and ideas. My congratulations to the people of Poland on their significant victory. Sanity in politics has returned, It has been brought back by Donald Tusk's very hard work. Long live freedom in Poland; long live LGBTQ+ rights! – © Mark Alexander
MEANWHILE IN HUNGARY:
Hungary anti-LGBT law sees under-18s barred from World Press Photo exhibition: Prestigious show contains one set of images with LGBTQ+ theme, prompting a far-right lawmaker to file a complaint with the cultural ministry »
