Description
The objective of the project is to counteract discrimination of rainbow families, i.e. non-heterosexual persons raising children. Project activities are addressed both to the families, and to general public. We plan to create the first Internet page in Poland on rainbow families, organise periodic events such as debates and film shows, educational workshops for non-heterosexual parents, make a film on rainbow families and launch antidiscrimination campaign to change stereotypes and prejudices related to raising children by non-heterosexual persons. All activities are aimed at combating prejudices concerning LGBT persons raising children and their children. The project will be implemented with the support from the Campaign Against Homophobia and LLH, Norwegian LGBT organisation, enabling us to use experiences of organisation that for long has conducted antidiscrimination activities.
Summary of project results
"The survey ""Families of choice in Poland. Family life of non-heterosexual persons"" (2014) shows that over 2 million LGBT persons live in Poland. It is estimated that about half of them live in relationships, and some of them have children. In the sample of 3038 persons living in homosexual relationships, 9% of them had children. Many respondents declared that they experience homophobia in their everyday lives. For the couples having children, an additional difficulty is the fact that Polish law fails to recognise the status of social parent, or the partner of the natural parent. The issues of parenthood of LGBT persons and discrimination experienced in this context have not been so far sufficiently discussed. The aim of the project was to counteract discrimination and foster friendly attitudes towards LGBT persons having children, also through strengthening the members of the group themselves. As a result of the activities undertaken under the project, education materials were prepared on rainbow families, and 36 persons from this community were strengthened. Under the project, the first Internet page in Poland on rainbow families
www.teczowerodziny.org was created, containing a digest of knowledge for educators, journalists, and also LGBT persons. Six periodical events were organised, debates and film shows. A nationwide Festival of Rainbow Families was attended by LGBT persons with families from many Polish cities. Developmental workshops were led for non-heterosexual parents. A document on rainbow families was prepared and an antidiscrimination campaign was launched in social media where allies tried to fight stereotypes related to bringing up children in rainbow families. In addition to persons featured in audio-video materials, dozens of thousands of persons manifested their support for the campaign through supporting posts. The partnership with the Norwegian LGBT organisation (LLH) let us take into account their perspective and years of experinces in working conceptually on the project activities. Collaboration with the Campaign Against Homophobia enabled the project to have a nationwide reach. The project benefited 36 persons living in rainbow families and 660 persons paticipating in periodical activities and in the Festival. The video material and other campaign materials were watched by over 200 thousand persons."
Summary of bilateral results
Thanks to the partner LLH Norway the project promoter could gain the essential knowledge about LGBT people and rainbow famielies situation in Norway. The partner contributed to project promoter's results by showing their experience in a two movies that were produced. The representative of LLH also took part in a debate that was organized in Poland together with the participation of the vicepresident of Gdansk. It was crucial that the audience and officials could learn new things from Norway experience.Thanks to those movies the project pomoter could send stronger message about situation of LGBT couples with children in Poland. They also got to know people whose experience the project pomoter would like to use more in Polish context in the future - for example to invite gay priest to Poland.