Poland has often stood apart from the rest of the European Union when it comes to LGBTI rights. While in the last ten years the EU has embraced the idea of being “United in Diversity”, Poland, under former president Duda and his party PiS, moved in the opposite direction. With the Catholic Church still holding a strong influence, the government created an atmosphere that pushed against the LGBTI community. That left Poland at the bottom of the EU ranking for LGBTI equality and rights. Almost two years ago, after losing the majority in the parliamentary elections, PiS had to say goodbye to its power. What has changed since then? Where does the Polish LGBTI community stand today, and what future can they expect? Now that the country has a new president, those questions feel more important than ever before.

This story contains three sections. One tells the story of how Poland developed its conservative sentiment. One shines light on the story of today, and how the situation has changed since their massive change in government. One tells the story of the future, and what is coming for the Polish LGBTI community.