The “16 days” campaign – violence against LGBTQ+ people
01 12 2025
1 December is World AIDS Day, dedicated to solidarity, education and fighting discrimination towards non-heteronormative people. It is a moment to remember that LGBTQ+ people – gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary and queer – continue to experience violence, discrimination and exclusion. This phenomenon has a direct impact on their sense of safety and mental health.
Violence against LGBT+ people is structural. It stems from prejudice, homophobia, transphobia, social norms based on a binary division of the world and the lack of full legal protection. Factors that increase the risk include: stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, hate-motivated violence, lack of coherent legal solutions or AIDS-related stigma.
European Union studies show that as many as 38% of LGBTQ+ people in Poland have experienced physical or sexual violence, and almost 70% have experienced verbal violence or harassment, making Poland a country where these rates are among the highest in Europe [1].
The Campaign Against Homophobia Foundation warns that half of LGBT+ young people in Poland experience violence and 70% feel unsafe at school [2]. LGBT+ people are more than twice as likely to be victims of cyberbullying as heterosexuals, and transgender people are up to three times as likely [3].
For transgender people, the rates are even higher: 60% report being harassed in the past year and more than 30% report being threatened or intimidated [1]. Institutional violence and discrimination manifests itself in impeded access to health care, denial of services, mistreatment, and lack of a gender reconciliation procedure. Transgender and non-binary people most often report fear of medical appointments, which directly translates into lower diagnosis and poorer health outcomes.
Poland lacks comprehensive equality and sexuality education, which further exacerbates exclusion. World AIDS Day is therefore also a call for a safe, equal health environment where no one is afraid to reach out for help.
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We remind you of reliable sources of information and places where you can find help:
Lambda Warsaw – psychological, legal and intervention help for LGBT+ people
Love Does Not Exclude – resources on discrimination and marriage equality
Trans-Fusion – support for trans and non-binary people
Campaign Against Homophobia – education, reports, intervention activities.
Blue line 800 120 002 free and confidential support of the Polish National Referral Service for Victims of Family Violence “Blue Line”.
Information on support institutions at the University of Warsaw can be found here.
Information about forms of support for LGBTQ+ people at the University of Warsaw can be found here.
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[1] European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, A long way to go for LGBTI equality, 2020.
[2] Campaign Against Homophobia, Report on the situation of LGBT+ people in Poland, 2021.
[3] ILGA-Europe, Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI People in Europe and Central Asia, 2023.
Compiled from: Campaign Against Homophobia, https://kph.org.pl/porazajaca-skala-przemocy-wobec-osob-lgbt-w-polsce-najnowsze-dane/