Bipolar
Homophobia and Sexual Tolerance in Poland
Tomasz Kitliński, Paweł Leszkowicz
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Sexual minorities in Poland live in a paradoxical situation. On the one hand, the country is one of the few where homosexuality was decriminalized early. However, this formal legal reality is offset by strong homophobic sentiments among broad segments of the population. There is to date no specific prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and no legal recognition of same-sex partnerships. At the same time, the country has an extremely lively scene of LGBT activists and artists. Their projects are often exposed to massive attacks. But the very fact that such heated debates take place helps the public grow accustomed to “queer” issues and non-heterosexual life-styles.
(Osteuropa 10/2013, pp. 195–239)