The recent abolishment of Poland’s last remaining “LGBT-free zone” is an important victory for the scores of activists and human rights defenders who resisted the discriminatory campaigns championed by the illiberal Law and Justice, or PiS, party, which governed the country until the end of 2023. Yet while this moment offers hope, it would be premature to declare victory.
The ultra-conservative threat to tolerance and inclusivity remains deeply embedded in Poland’s political landscape, emboldened by the growing appeal of Europe’s illiberal figureheads, namely Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. The campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration against trans rights and programs directed toward increasing diversity, equity and inclusivity, or DEI, has also put some wind back in the sails of those who supported PiS’ similar stances. Now, with a presidential election set for May 18 and PiS’ candidate polling second in what could be a close two-round contest, Poland’s liberal trajectory remains precarious despite this “good news” headline.
The repeal of Poland’s final LGBT-free zone by the southeastern county of Lancut last month closed one of the most internationally condemned chapters of the PiS government’s tenure in office. Introduced in 2019, these resolutions declared municipalities free of so-called LGBTQ+ ideology, a term deliberately crafted to conflate equal rights with cultural subversion. Backed by PiS politicians and conservative NGOs, nearly 100 local authorities representing a third of the country enacted such declarations, claiming to be defending what they characterized as “traditional family values.”