UN expert calls for swift and decisive action to protect LGBT people

The UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Graeme Reid, called on the Government in Poland to take swift and decisive steps to combat discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and other gender-diverse (LGBT) people.

“It is imperative that the Parliament take action on necessary legal reforms on equality in Poland, to address human rights violations,” Reid said in a statement at the end of his 10-day visit to the country. “LGBT individuals are negatively affected by the lack of adequate protections,” he said.

The expert said the slow pace of legislative reform by the Government was a source of disappointment and frustration for many of the 130 civil society representatives and government authorities he met across the country.

“I heard many heart-rending individual stories during my visit. A gay man denied access to his dying partner due to a lack of legal partnership recognition; trans people compelled to sue their parents to obtain legal gender recognition; children shut out of home, bullied at school, and struggling to find timely psychological support, among others. Fortunately, even small steps could go a long way in addressing these inequalities,” said Reid.

“I urge the authorities to adopt swift and decisive legislative reforms to bring Poland’s laws and policies into conformity with international human rights standards, including against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” he added.

The independent expert was in Poland from 18 to 29 November 2024, where he met government officials, civil society representatives, the national human rights institution, and LGBT people, in the capital Warsaw, Krakow, Lublin, Wroclaw and Poznan.

The expert welcomed the apology issued by the Government of Poland in December 2023 for State-sponsored discriminatory rhetoric against LGBT people in the past.

“In the aftermath of eight years of State-sponsored hostile rhetoric and public policies directed against LGBT people, the mental health consequences have been alarming. I heard reports of self-harm among LGBT youth in some parts of Poland – driven by rejection at home, bullying in schools, and inadequate access to health, education and psychological support to deal with those daily realities,” said the expert.

He also welcomed acknowledgements by government representatives that Poland’s law and policies are not fully in line with international standards – a determination that has also been made by international human rights courts – and that the authorities are working to better protect LGBT people from hate crimes, to enable same-sex civil unions, and to establish a clear legal route to gender recognition, among others.

The independent expert will present a full report on his visit to the Human Rights Council in June 2025.