Poland presidential election: Campaign of first openly gay candidate shines light on EU’s ‘worst country to be LGBT+’

Robert Biedroń’s candidacy in today’s election is a beacon of hope – but also comes at a time of severe backlash against Poland’s LGBT+ community, as Constantin Gouvy reports

A picture taken on Thursday shows a huge election poster of left-wing presidential candidate Robert Biedron in downtown Warsaw (AFP/Getty)

For Hubert Sobecki, Poland’s LGBT+ community is facing its “darkest hour”.

“We have gone through some tough challenges before, but this is the most trying time I’ve experienced since we set up the organisation 10 years ago,” the 37-year-old co-founder of the LGBT+ rights grassroots organisation Love Does Not Exclude tells The Independent, on the eve of Poland’s presidential election.

At first glance, Sobecki’s comments might seem counterintuitive; today’s election represents a historic moment for Poland’s LGBT+ community, with the country’s first openly gay presidential candidate Robert Biedron hitting the campaign trail.