some people trying to act like this post is an example of “who has it worse omg” olympics… and that’s not it.
no one is denying that the west - whether US or even just Western Europe - isn’t full of homophobia, that people don’t get abused or discriminated or killed because of their sexuality/identity.
but you know, me, as a proud Slav - which is also really easy to misinterpret but those who know me are well aware of what I mean - I have never heard of something like Gay Straight Alliance. you mean you can talk about gay people existing… in school? you can talk about identities? you can be gay in school? you don’t have to sit through hours upon hours of religion classes and get brainwashed into believing homos are the literal devil?
frankly, for a very very long time I didn’t know there was something like being gay. as an actual sexuality? love? no, it was something perverse no one talked about. no “gay cousin” jokes, no “that one lesbian aunt that grandma doesn’t like”.
nada.
you have TV shows with gay characters - some as a joke, we’re aware, and we’re against that too. but here, a gay character in a polish tv show/movie? if not shown to be disgusting, even if some attempt is made to make them /normal/ you think all the media is not shitting on the show? mothers don’t turn off the tvs with disgust? actors don’t get shit for playing a gay guy or a lesbian?
you have historical figures you can call gay? I learned of Oscar Wilde I nearly fainted in the school bathroom, I couldn’t believe, a gay person, and we read his works during classes, good gods, maybe there is hope. then you uncover Polish lgbt+ figures, covered by dust and shame, buried in history. don’t bring them up. don’t use their names, because people will not understand. a wrong person will hear and a book with polish literature for high schoolers lies on the corridor, set aflame.
we’re barely having actual pride parades here - and nothing amazing and great and supported by media, no, it’s difficult and scary, and wonderful, yes, until the Others stop us in the streets. police will look the other way. media will shit on you, not the attackers.
it’s getting better. we’re growing and blooming as a community, but we’re dying as nations.
we’re fighting off racism and xenophobia and racism and bigotry on every step - in others and in ourselves too, because as OP said, you love your culture but you see, kurwa you see how terribly soaked it is in hatred. every bit of your identity, national or not, you have to untangle, wash, wrangle, try to remove the stains, try to make okay.
and then one of the sides will hate you anyway.
allow us to talk about our experiences without jumping to ridiculous conclusions. the west treats us as subspecies anyway. try to think beyond what your propaganda taught you.
