Poland A, Poland B? No, Poland LGBT.

About this project

<p>Polish local governments are increasingly taking up the subject of equality policies, especially in southeastern Poland, where so-called ‘LGBT-free zones’ have been created. Officials and civil servants are becoming more and more interested in this topic. Public policies addressing the problems of the LGBTQIA community are a recent phenomenon, which is present primarily in Poland's largest cities. As part of this project, we will map the problems of LGBTQIA people and the expectations they have of public institutions. Based on this diagnosis, we will propose postulates and solutions that can be implemented by local governments. At the same time, we will strengthen advocacy at the local level to support the implementation of such policies. We will carry out a public campaign aimed at countering hateful narratives about the LGBTQIA community. In cooperation with partners from the Donor States and based on good practices exsisting in both local government and the third sector’s activities, we will develop an advocacy strategy and model solutions to be implemented in smaller towns in southeastern Poland. Partners in the project are: FRI – Foreningen for kjønns- og seksualitetsmangfold Vestland oraz Samtökin '78, both of which advocate for LGBTQIA rights in Norway and Iceland.</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The PP has established strong relationships with organizations from the Donor Countries, which not only allowed for valuable study exchanges but also resulted in further invitations of people from the Foundation to Norway for other events. Details regarding the study trips themselves are presented below in the report. It is worth adding that apart from the trips themselves, the grantee is in constant contact with partners and plans further activities both in Poland, Norway and Iceland. During the meetings, city policies and a broader approach to activities for LGBTQIA people were discussed. The aim of the visit to Oslo was also to look at the city's activities and cooperation around Oslo Pride. Unfortunately, during our stay there was a terrorist attack on the LGBT community bar. We will not hide the fact that this situation had a psychological impact on the people participating in the study visit. In the following days, the grantee visited Bergen, where he met with other institutions and organizations. A meeting with the Bergen Pride organization was also held at the headquarters of the partner FRI Vestland. In addition, meetings were held with representatives of the Department of Culture, Diversity and Equality of the Bergen City Hall and representatives of the University of Bergen, which runs the Queer Archive. Thanks to the support and contacts of partners from donor countries, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with representatives of local government units from Oslo, Tromso, Kristiansand, Bergen and Reykjavik and non-governmental organizations from these cities, as well as, among others, smaller towns in Iceland.

Project partners

• FRI - The Norwegian Organization for Sexual and Gender Diversity Donor project partner· Norway
• Samtökin ‘78 – The National Queer Organization of Iceland Donor project partner· Iceland