In a landmark step for LGBTQ+ equality in Central Europe, Poland’s capital Warsaw marked a historic milestone Thursday by issuing its first official transcription of a same-sex marriage, acting in compliance with binding court orders that mandate recognition of same-sex unions legally registered in other European Union member states.
The process set in motion months ago, when the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest judicial body, ruled last November that Poland must formally recognize same-sex marriages completed in other EU nations, even though Poland’s domestic legislation does not currently allow for same-sex marriage within its borders. That top EU ruling was subsequently upheld and applied this March by Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court, which ordered local authorities to recognize the 2018 marriage of two Polish men that was legally registered in Germany.
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a prominent center-left political figure, confirmed the breakthrough in a public announcement Thursday. “This morning we issued the first transcription of a marriage certificate for a same-sex couple, in accordance with the court rulings,” Trzaskowski stated. Going beyond the mandatory court order, the mayor also pledged that Warsaw would take a proactive approach to recognizing future same-sex marriages contracted by Polish couples in other EU countries, even in cases where no individual court ruling has been issued for a specific couple.
The move aligns with commitments from Poland’s new prime minister, Donald Tusk, whose centrist government took office late last year with a pro-EU, pro-equality agenda. Speaking earlier this week, Tusk confirmed that his administration was working to speed up implementation of the court rulings across the country. Addressing directly to same-sex couples in Poland, Tusk offered a public apology for decades of marginalization. “I apologize to all those who, for many years, felt rejected and humiliated,” he said.
Tusk also called on public officials across the country to uphold equal treatment for LGBTQ+ Poles, regardless of their own personal beliefs. “I appeal to all officials to respect the dignity of each individual and to remember that these people live around us, among us, near us, and that they deserve the same feelings of respect, dignity and love as any other person,” he emphasized.
The milestone comes after decades of grassroots advocacy by LGBTQ+ activists in Poland, where national law has long banned both same-sex marriage and formal civil partnerships for same-sex couples. Crucially, the recent court rulings do not require Poland to fully legalize same-sex marriage domestically, a distinction that has softened some opposition from conservative groups. Tusk’s government ran on a platform that included legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples, a key campaign promise that has hit a wall in recent months. The proposal faces persistent pushback from hardline conservative factions within Tusk’s own governing coalition, as well as firm opposition from Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a devout Catholic who has repeatedly voiced opposition to LGBTQ+ equal rights measures.
This development comes amid a broader push for LGBTQ+ protections across the European Union, where the European Commission has recently moved forward with a proposed ban on the controversial practice of gay “conversion therapy”, a discredited practice aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation.