LGBTQ+ people in Bristol show solidarity with Polish communities under attack

“Last time I was in College Green I saw the Pride flag hanging in front of City Hall,” says Ola Poroslo, co-founder of a new collective working towards progressive change.

“Often you don’t even notice or realise the fight that has gone into that.”

PHATBristol is trying to change that. Founded in 2020 by Ola and their Oli Rushen, the Generation Z-led collective are hoping to help femme and queer Polish communities.

“As the social landscape in Poland continues to plummet into turmoil and disrepair, we plan to shine a light on and expose the archaic and Draconian laws recently passed by the controversial political party, PiS (Law and Justice Party),” says Ola.

“Poland is the worst performing county in terms of LGBTQ+ rights in the EU. It is our job as people in Bristol, a city liberated and rich in queer culture, to reach out to our other queers in the world with love and support.”

PHATBristol are releasing an album and, later in the year, staging a protest to show solidarity and unity for the communities in Poland fighting for their freedom.

In August 2020, a solidarity event with Polish queer people was held on College Green. Over five years of leadership under a right-wing Government, an increasingly homophobic and transphobic rhetoric has left to increased hate crime towards the LGBTQ+ community in the country.

Since 2019, around 100 Polish municipalities – a third of the country – have declared themselves “LGBT-free zones,” a newspaper has distributed stickers with inflammatory slogans and a crossed-out Pride flag, and participants at a Pride march in the city of Białystok were attacked with stones and bottles by nationalists and far-right groups.

Since the re-election of president Andrzej Duda in July 2020, attacks have worsened, with activists being arrested and violently “pacified” by the police for acts such as holding a rainbow flag.

PHATBristol is a show of unity with Polish queers and femmes. Photo: All Out

PHATBristol’s work is a stand against this. The album, Poland Has a Task, is a show of unity between Bristol and Poland’s LGBTQ+ and femme communities

“The artists on the album are all Queer/Femme,” says Ola. “We wanted to portray that we are all human, after all, and experience the same feelings as anyone else. Wanting to dance, love, cry, talk.”

Artists featured include Jessica Winter, Lynks, Bendy Wendy and Smuj. Sylvia Baudelaire, a trans woman living in an “LGBT-free zone” in Poland and Muffintops, whose song Not a Girl documents them coming out as non-binary also star.

The album will raise money for three Polish charities. Aborcyjny Dream Team, offers Polish women safe abortions abroad, Stop Bzdurom is a charity of empowered and livid young queers who are relentlessly fighting for gay rights and Strajk Kobiet is a femme charity fighting to get back abortion rights for women.

“There is no future for me in a country that takes my basic human rights away,” says Ola, who moved to the UK aged seven. “A country that won’t give me the choice to safely and legally carry out abortion. A country that won’t let me be with a woman and marry the person I love.”

As well as releasing an album, PHATBristol will be hosting a protest in April. The walk is planned to start at the Polish RC Church of Our Lady of Ostrabrama on Cheltenham Road and head to College Green, where the collective hope to hold speeches and creative demonstrations of queer and femme artists.

Following the physical protest, there will be an online stream of discussions, speeches and information on the cause.

Ola moved to England aged seven and co-founded the collective. Photo: Alice Ramdehal

“Every day, I am moved and inspired by the activism in Poland, Polish people risking their lives, their relationship with their families, their place in society for long overdue justice and equality,” says Ola, who is 23 and lives in Bedminster.

“I have never before felt such pride in being Polish. I have never before felt such pride in being a Polish Woman. We fight with our music now and our culture, for freedom.

“It’s scary to think the only reason why I’ve had such a beautiful time coming out, is because I’ve been in Bristol. Any of us could’ve been born somewhere else.

“It could be us without access to contraception, sex education or human rights. It could be you who are getting arrested for hanging up the pride flag.

“It could be us running away abroad to get an expensive abortion or trying out dangerous cheap methods. It could’ve been me.”

Main image of Muffintops: PHATBristol

Read more: Showing solidarity with Poland’s LGBTQ+ community