Warsaw registered Poland's first same-sex marriage.
In a country where same-sex marriage and civil partnerships are still illegal, that sentence carries weight. Warsaw's City Hall transcribed the certificate on Thursday, recognising a marriage entered into abroad, after the EU's highest court ruled that Poland must register same-sex marriages registered in other member states.
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski went further, pledging that the city will proactively recognise other same-sex marriages registered elsewhere in the EU, without waiting for individual court orders. Prime Minister Donald Tusk apologised to LGBTQI Poles who, in his words, were made to feel rejected and humiliated for years.
This is what European law can do. When a national government drags its feet, the rights of citizens do not have to wait. Two-thirds of Poles already support legal recognition for same-sex couples. The politics are slowly catching up to the people.
ALT Two men celebrating Poland's first same-sex marriage registration in Warsaw against a rainbow backdrop.