Gay travelers in Warsaw should take special care regarding public displays of affection where many residents are uncomfortable with LGBT culture and likely hold conservative attitudes, and outright homophobia is not unheard of.
Much like Bucharest and Budapest, the current government seems hell-bent on turning ‘illiberal,’ though we hope this turns out to be just a small bump in the road to full societal acceptance of gay life in Poland. While Warsaw is the most liberal city in Poland, it is still advised to keep overt displays of public affection to a minimum.
Poland even recently took issue with Brussels after a gay flag was flown outside of the European Parliament… There are signs a shake-up is on the way, with Robert Biedron Poland’s first openly gay MP and then mayor, being viewed as a frontrunner for Poland’s presidency.ĭespite excruciatingly slow progress politically, wider Polish society is slowly becoming more tolerant, and Warsaw has some gay bars, clubs, and cafes – although a far less developed gay scene than you would expect for a city of this side.
While many ex-soviet countries have made steps towards equality, Poland – despite being a member of the European Union for fifteen years – has woefully insufficient legal protections for LGBTQ Poles against discrimination in any sphere of living outside of employment.