On behalf of Stowarzyszenie Miłość Nie Wyklucza (Love Does Not Exclude Association), Kampania Przeciw Homofobii (Campaign Against Homophobia) and Open For Business, organizations supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Poland and globally, we have the pleasure of presenting to you a statement of the Polish business community, expressing support for legislative actions that will provide same-sex couples and their families in Poland with legal recognition and protection. We wish to invite you to sign the attached open letter and join the enterprises sharing the ideals of equality, respect for human rights and employee rights, but also dedicated to creating an optimal environment for economic growth in the country.
We believe that business plays a significant role in shaping our society, including in terms of respect for human rights. We also know that inclusive, diverse societies are better for business and better for economic growth as well as that companies fostering open and safe workplaces are more effective and enjoy better financial results. In 2022, more than 40 Polish experts in the field of law and economics drew attention to the fact that the lack of legal protection for same-sex relationships leads to unjustified economic discrimination and stands in the way of economic development. Back in June 2023, an open letter expressing support for the LGBTQ+ community was signed by over 30 leaders of companies active in Poland, declaring their commitment to tangible, verifiable and measurable actions aiming to support their LGBTQ+ employees. You can learn more about these initiatives and research in the full statement.
We hope you will join the ranks of companies who recognize the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect, that our workplaces and communities thrive and are strongest when everyone is free to focus on their work and care for their families, and who advocate for the legal recognition and appropriate legal protection of same-sex couples and the families they create. We once more encourage you to sign the attached statement.
We also hope that this initiative will allow us to show dedication of Polish enterprises to the fight for equality, raise awareness of economic costs of discrimination, and most of all, lead to a real change for the LGBTQ+ community, which will benefit us all.
Our open letter may play an important part in the ongoing social discussion on the draft act on registered civil partnerships. We believe that our voice on this matter is much needed right now. Given the timeline of the public consultations of the draft act introducing the act on registered partnerships and further legislative work, we kindly ask you to submit your decision on supporting the initiative by the end of November 2024.
We will gladly answer all of your questions regarding the statement and our activity. You are welcome to contact the Polish Open For Business team at: mkorus@open-for-business.org and lantkiewicz@open-for-business.org.
Sincerely,
Hubert Sobecki, Member of the Board, Stowarzyszenie Miłość Nie Wyklucza
Agnieszka Kulikowska, Co-Chairperson of the Board, Kampania Przeciw Homofobii
Mirosława Makuchowska, Director, Kampania Przeciw Homofobii
Łukasz Antkiewicz, Campaign Lead – Poland, Open For Business
You may learn more about us here:
