We Brought Rainbow Families to the Sejm

This week, we walked into the Polish Sejm not as an abstract “issue,” not as a headline, and not as a political argument but as women, as activists, as lesbians, as mothers, and as those who dream of becoming mothers in Poland yet still hesitate because of fear and legal uncertainty.

Our visit was rooted in the findings of our recent report and in the voices that too often go unheard. For months, public debate has circled around LGBT+ rights without truly including the people most affected. Rainbow families are spoken about, debated, instrumentalized but rarely listened to.

Together with activists and representatives of our community, we met with members of parliament who were willing to listen and engage in cAonversation. We reminded them of something fundamental: rainbow families cannot be left to navigate this reality alone. When policymakers omit them from legislative plans, they are not simply avoiding controversy they are overlooking real families and, most importantly, real children growing up in same-sex households.

There are an estimated 50,000 children being raised in rainbow families in Poland. When their parents lack legal recognition, protection, or security, it is the children who carry the consequences.

During our visit, we handed over more than 400 handwritten letters from rainbow families. These were deeply personal testimonies – stories about daily life without legal protection, about fear, about dignity, about love. Some letters were accompanied by drawings made by children. Small, colorful reminders that behind every political “discussion” there is a child who simply wants stability and safety.

We personally delivered letters to MPs who support equality and expressed readiness to continue dialogue. For those who did not meet with us, we left letters in their parliamentary mailboxes. Every representative was given the opportunity to hear these voices.

In recent legislative work on the proposed “closest person status” bill, rainbow families were largely sidelined. But being omitted from a draft law does not make families disappear. On the contrary, it makes it even more urgent to speak up. Visibility is not optional when your family’s safety depends on it.

We ended our visit with an official press conference in the Sejm. Standing there together, we spoke not only as activists, but as women protecting our loved ones. We emphasized that this is not a symbolic debate. It is about the everyday lives of families who pay taxes, raise children, contribute to society, and deserve equal protection under the law.

Dorota Łoboda, Member of Parliament, reading a letter from a rainbow family.

For some politicians, adoption and marriage equality may be elements of political strategy. For us, they are about our homes, our partners, and our children.

We will continue to remind decision-makers that rainbow families are part of Poland. And we will continue to demand that the law reflects that reality.

It was supported by EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community @elc_lesbiancommunity.

“This project is funded by the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community and co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Fundacja Brokat implementing the project and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community or of the European Union.”

We Brought Rainbow Families to the Sejm

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