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Gay Poland
Polish Culture: Gay Poland
Gay Life In Poland
Background
Apart from a ban on gay prostitution between 1932 and 1969, Poland has never had any legal strictures against homosexuality. Prohibitions did exist in the 19th century, but were imposed by occupying powers, not by Poles themselves, and the already existing freedom to be gay was legally formalized in 1932 when the age of consent for all, irrespective of sexuality, was set at 15. Gays are allowed to serve in the Polish military, and since 2003 it has been illegal to fire an employee because of sexual orientation.
Present Day
But - (big but!) - in spite of this, the general drift of popular opinion in present day Poland is anti-gay. 95% of the population professes Roman Catholicism, and the arch-conservative Catholic church wields considerable political power in Poland. The Church crushed proposals made in 1995 to include an anti-discrimination clause in the country's constitution, and is a vociferous opponent of moves towards legalizing gay marriage. Public displays of same sex affection may be greeted with hostility.
Most telling, perhaps, is the exodus of gay men from Poland since the country became a member of the European Union, making cross-border movement easier. It has been attested to by many such emigrants that the motivation was less economic and more to do with escaping persecution.
Gay scene
The gay scene in Poland is thriving in the cities mainly the capital Warsaw and to a lesser extent Krakow, the resort town of Sopot and the port of Gdansk, and the same commonsense discretion that you would exercise back home applies to the gay scene here too.
Warsaw
Bars/Clubs
Klub City
Jana Pawła II 43a
Pawilon 28b (poziom -1)
Tel: 22 636 92 46
ADD YOUR GAY CLUB OR BAR IN POLAND HERE - CONTACT US
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