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Description
Prejudice against LGBT+ people has escalated in Poland in recent years, and due to a growing trend in homophobic and transphobic propaganda, disinformation and discrimination of this group, the wellbeing of LGBT+ people is increasingly endangered. LGBT+ people receive support in Poland from a range of CSOs, but the needs of LGBT+ people and discussion of the entire community are formulated primarily by young, educated people living in the big cities. Most of the material available is complex and requires the reader to be familiar with scientific terms, have knowledge of English, and know LGBT+ community jargon. A significant number of LGBT+ people, especially those residing in small towns, have limited access to support and reader-friendly information. The community in which they live is ill-disposed or even hostile. The people close to them often formulate opinions based on homophobic sources of information.The project addresses the lack of reader-friendly materials for LGBT+ persons providing answers to questions about their identity, sexuality, and rights.In the project, we will create a mobile application to provide easy to understand information about major LGBT+ issues presented in an accurate and ideologically neutral way, and psychoeducational counselling. The application will be also an aid in finding reliable sources and further specialist support. The content of the application will be created using a participatory approach, with a direct and active role played by users in the target group. The application will include aspects of awareness-raising. As a result, everybody, regardless of their place of residence, qualifications, skills, or knowledge of foreign languages will have access to reader-friendly information on LGBT+ issues.
Summary of project results
The project is about supporting LGBT+ people, a group particularly vulnerable to exclusion and discrimination in Poland. In recent years, the political and media drip of hatred towards LGBT+ people has gained momentum, which translates into an increase in homophobic and transphobic attitudes in society. According to a report by ILGA Europe, Poland ranks 39th, the penultimate among EU countries, in a ranking of safe and LGBT+-friendly countries. Hateful attacks have also been joined by local governments, which have created so-called ''LGBT-free zones'' in their areas. LGBT+ people often live in a sense of insecurity and fear for their own health and lives. People living in small towns and cities are particularly vulnerable to exclusion and discrimination, as they have limited access to information and support and fewer resources to deal with widespread homophobia. Organisations working for LGBT+ people and offering various types of support are mainly located in large cities.The project has developed a mobile application for LGBT+ people. It is a stand-alone application, developed based on a proven model of online psychological interventions. The tool was developed in a participatory, multi-stage process, with the direct and active participation of LGBT+ people, taking into account their needs. The app includes both information and educational material as well as psychological counselling and psychoeducation content, and guidance on where to find reliable sources of information and further specialist support.The project has resulted in the development of an app for the LGBT+ community to enable them to access information and support regardless of location or available resources. The project also had an impact on the academic community, which was involved in the implementation of the project for the benefit of and with the participation of a group of people at risk of exclusion. The results of the project, including this application, will be taken into account in the preparation of an equality policy at the University Library of Warsaw.
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