This semester the country I would like to focus on is Poland, a country in Europe currently facing a human rights crisis. The current right-wing government and Polish President Andrzej Duda have publicly demonized the LGBTQ+ community making way for dangerous and unfair treatment to citizens. Newly reelected Duda stated in his campaign that “LGBT are not people — they are an ideology” that is “even more destructive than communism.”. Due to this hateful rhetoric, many Polish towns have declared themselves “LGBTQ free” zones, so much so that they have lost funding from the European Union. The E.U.’s commissioner stated that by allowing these zones to be created the Polish government has failed to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens. According to a 2020 survey by ILGA, an international gay rights organization, Poland is currently the most homophobic country in the European Union. Protests have erupted all over the country and are expected to continue. Protestors have been detained on multiple occasions (including prominent activists) and are facing violence from the police.
Since New York is known as fiercely accepting and protecting its LGBTQ+ citizens the contrast between Poland is obvious. I would like to interview members of the large Polish community we have in Greenpoint to hear their opinions and how this movement is affecting any family still in Poland. I think it would be valuable to speak to members of the LGBTQ+ community in New York to talk about how this affects the overall push for equality. The recent arrests of activists in Poland have even sparked protests to take place in front of the NYC Polish consulate to demonstrate solidarity.