The Polish LGBT community is becoming more and more visible: on the streets, where Pride participants now outnumber the police accompanying them; and on the walls, where, since late March, large photos of smiling couples hand-in-hand invite the viewer to 'Look at us!'
Some nasties have felt provoked to use red paint, trying to cover up such wanton displays of self-confidence. There have also been attempts to publish the names and addresses of the 30 gay and lesbian couples who posed for Karolina Bregula as part of this most recent Campaign Against Homophobia project.
The right-wing groups taking credit for the vandalism and threats, the All Polish Youth and the League of Polish Families, even managed to scratch up almost a dozen counter-demonstrators for the Equality Parade in Warsaw on May 1. If the police had let them nearer, they would have seen some of the very couples they'd tried to chase back into the closet, dancing past them.
In fact, if the police hadn't been in such abundance, this pride day—the second, depending on how you count—would hardly have differed from most west European demonstrations. Clear political demands were amplified before and after, but the movement along the route itself—in this case along the most beautiful and prominent street in Warsaw—was a free-flowing party.
There were more participants than ever—organizers estimate about 3,000; for the first time there were floats; most of those lining the route were smiling and friendly; and although the police were highly visible, their main job was to keep the participants in one lane.
One thing that does distinguish the Polish Pride is that it is celebrated on the first of May. That has a very bureaucratic explanation. There are so many demonstrations taking place in Warsaw on this day, that it is relatively easy for smaller groups to get a permit for their route of choice.
So is the situation in Poland good or bad? It appears to be both, but getting better and better.
At the moment, at least with respect to the United Nations and its Human Rights Commission, Poland is even more progressive than the USA. The Catholic church is still very influential, its local priests not always following the official compassionate line; but the pro-LGBT forces coming from the European Union are also being felt.
Same-sex relations aren't illegal, but they aren't protected either. The police still find things to enforce. Just last month two men were held for kissing each other in a public place. But there seems to be a measurable learning curve. Many past mistakes, such as in 1998 when the organization Lambda Warsaw was denied a demonstration permit because mothers with children were expected to be nearby, haven't been repeated.
Like all countries hankering for membership in the EU ( Poland is set to join in 2004 ) , a minimum on human rights is expected. There's been some international uneasiness about the Polish government's January declaration that 'nothing in the provisions of the Treaty on European Union … prevents the Polish state in regulating questions of moral significance.'
But more optimistic citizens are interpreting this statement as a temporary sop to the Catholic church to keep it from gumming up the European works. In any case, such statements have no legal effect.
The battle for public opinion does appear to be going the community's way. An impressive list of Polish VIPs and celebrities publicly stated their disgust at the intolerance surrounding the partly government-sponsored Campaign Against Homophobia poster action.
While the political world remains one of compromises, with slow-moving tendencies towards tolerance, the social world is expanding rapidly. There are more and more LGBT-friendly cafes and bars; Queer Theory is spreading through the university system, queer conferences occurring regularly; and the small number of LGBT organizations in Poland are well-linked internationally, assuring a certain financial support that enables them to take on large projects.
Warsaw is taking the leading role in these changes. For those who have the chance, it is well worth a visit.
