LGBTQ+ Poland Special: An interview with Martin Kmiecik

In this special episode, we focus on the LGBTQ+ community in Poland. Over the summer, the country saw the re-election of right-wing politician Andrzej Duda as President. In the run-up to the election, Duda spoke out against the LGBT community, stoking anti-LGBT feeling and suggesting that an ‘LGBT ideology’ was a threat to family life. Since the election, discrimination, violence and hatred towards the LGBTQ+ community in Poland have increased, with many activists arrested or detained without charge. So what does this mean for agencies and brands operating in Poland? How can they make a stand and support the LGBTQ+ community there? Joanne Oatts talks to Polish-born Martin Kmiecik, co-founder of diversity and inclusion consultancy Diversity Pride, about the situation in Poland, and his own experiences growing up in the country.   Martin Kmiecik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-kmiecik/?originalSubdomain=uk Diversity Pride: https://diversitypride.org/ BBC Report from Ben Hunte: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-53342667 “Yeah that’s totally from Poland” - The One Club interview: https://www.oneclub.org/articles/-view/yeah-thats-totally-from-poland The Unbreakable Rainbow, Ben & Jerry’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUDQBBjRMyc Durex – głośni w łóżku: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=30&v=fsYn8fcBKSE&feature=emb_logo Slav 4 U Polish Cabaret: https://www.facebook.com/slav4u Amnesty International - Polish focus: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/LGBTI-equality United Nations: https://www.un.org/sg/en/countries/poland The Outvertising Podcast Hosted by Joanne Oatts Produced & edited by Rosie Ann Boxall Get in touch with the podcast here: https://www.outvertising.org/podcast or on social: Twitter: @outvertising Insta: @outvertising Facebook: outvertisinguk Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/outvertising/