Study: Gay Poles heading to UK to ‘flee discrimination’ in Poland
A study by a student at the University of Westminster found that gay Polish people are often fleeing discrimination in Poland when they head to the UK.
Pamela Sposito wrote for the Huffington Post: “Gay Poles in the UK say they are not planning to return to their country because they felt too humiliated and irritated by the hate speech and anti-gay discrimination in Poland.”
“In a recent study I conducted among young Polish students and young professionals, it was shocking to find that many young Poles dissociate themselves from their country because of homophobia.
“66% of London-based students (of any sexual orientation) from Poland think anti-gay speech in their country is a common phenomenon and 75% consider the UK a more gay-friendly society.
“75% of young Poles in UK admit there is hardly any support for student LGBT rights at Polish universities.”
Kamil, a 20-year-old UCL student from Gdańsk, says that two weeks before he moved to London, he was attacked by three teenagers who beat him up and broke his jaw because “he looked gay”.
He said: “It was absurd to be scared to walk in my own neighbourhood”.
