Polish Artist Karol Radziszewski Confronts Anti-LGBT Politics Ahead of Presidential Election

Polish artist and activist Karol Radziszewski describes the dangerous climate for LGBT individuals in Poland as President Andrzej Duda campaigns on anti-LGBT policies. Duda's proposed 'family card' would ban teaching LGBT issues in schools and prohibit same-sex marriage, while potentially ending state museum careers for openly queer artists. Radziszewski notes the recent suicide of Michał Demski, a 30-year-old queer person from northern Poland, highlighting the human cost of political rhetoric. He explains how systemic homophobia and religious influence shape Polish politics, with right-wing politicians seeking Church support. Approximately one-third of Poland has declared 'LGBT-free zones,' creating hostile environments outside major cities like Warsaw. Radziszewski founded the Queer Archives Institute in 2015 to document LGBT histories across post-Soviet countries, challenging the notion that homosexuality is a Western import. His work includes research on Operation Hyacinth, a 1980s police campaign that collected data on gay men for blackmail. Through his magazine DIK Fagazine, started in 2005, he built transnational community connections, though Polish institutions initially refused to sell it. Radziszewski's 2005 exhibition 'Fags' was described as Poland's first openly gay show, illustrating how recent queer visibility is in the country. He considers leaving Poland due to escalating homophobia but continues using his artistic platform for activism.