Poland on Thursday recorded its first officially recognized same-sex marriage, following landmark court rulings requiring Poland to acknowledge same-sex unions conducted in other European Union member states.
The development comes months after the European Union’s top court ruled in November that Poland must recognize same-sex marriages legally registered elsewhere within the EU, even though Polish law does not currently permit same-sex marriage domestically.
In March, Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court relied on the EU ruling to direct authorities to recognize the marriage of two Polish men who wed in Germany.
Announcing the decision, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said city authorities had issued the first transcription of a marriage certificate for a same-sex couple in line with the court judgments.
Trzaskowski also pledged that Warsaw would move to recognize other same-sex marriages involving Polish citizens registered in EU countries, even without additional court rulings.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier stated that his government would work swiftly to comply with the rulings, while apologizing to LGBTQ+ individuals who had long felt “rejected and humiliated.”
Tusk urged public officials to respect the dignity and rights of all citizens regardless of personal beliefs, stressing that members of the LGBTQ+ community deserve equal respect, love and recognition.
For decades, LGBTQ+ activists in Poland have campaigned for equal rights in a country where same-sex marriage and civil unions remain illegal.
Although the recent rulings require recognition of marriages performed abroad, they do not compel Poland to legalize same-sex marriage within the country.
Tusk’s administration had pledged to introduce civil unions for same-sex couples, but opposition from conservatives within the ruling coalition and resistance from President Karol Nawrocki have slowed progress on the issue.
