When Poland's center-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk came to power late last year, it promised change for the better for the LGBTQ+ community.
The anti-LGBTQ+ narrative of the previous national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government made life very difficult for the community. In 2019, for example, several municipalities in Poland led by the ruling party declared themselves "LGBT-ideology-free" zones, with the leaders of PiS saying they were promoting family values.
According to the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), Poland ranks last in the EU when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights — lagging far behind Malta, Belgium and Denmark at the top of the table. The ILGA ranking is based on an examination of 74 criteria that measure the legal and social acceptance of LGBTQ people such as marriage equality and adoption for gay couples, gender identity, gender recognition and anti-hate crime measures.
So, how are things now, almost ten months into the new government?