Being queer means being political. A Qualitative study of Queer Activists Lived Experiences and the Silent Support in Contemporary Poland

Sammanfattning: For the fourth year in a row, Poland continues to rank as the lowest country of the European Union on the yearly report on the legal and political situation of queer people in Europe. With constant negative media portrayal of queer communities and homophobic remarks from politicians, Polish queer individuals become antagonized and stigmatized by the society. This thesis aims to explore the less researched field of queer activism by understanding the lived experiences of queer activists in contemporary Poland. Through the use of previous research and theoretical frameworks of heteronormativity, political power and minority stress, this thesis aims to contribute further to this field of studies. This study involves conducing and analyzing 8 semi-structured interviews with queer activists currently living in Poland. The data will be analyzed using the thematic analysis method and split into four themes in order to gain a deeper understanding of the struggles of the sexual minorities in Poland. In the further part of the analysis the concept of silent support is introduced. The last part of the thesis consists of the conclusion and possible further research.