Lambda Warszawa: Shelter for LGBTIQ+ Ukrainians

Lambda Warszawa is Poland’s oldest still-existing LGBTIQ+ organisation. Since the nineties, they provide help to people struggling because of their LGBTIQ+ identity. Since the war in Ukraine started, Lambda Warszawa has taken up a leading role in helping the many Ukrainian LGBTIQ+ refugees that fled Vladimir Putin’s war.

Since the start of the war, the Polish organisation has helped over 600 refugees from Ukraine. They provided shelter, host families, food, legal and psychological help. After the realisation many of the refugees were staying for the long-term, they started teaching Polish and helped them getting access to the job market.

Forbidden Colours proudly supports Lambda Warszawa financially and structurally in their work to mitigate the effects of the war on the LGBTIQ+ community. Besides the financial support, we also gave them access to the secure online platform.

On the 25th of June 2022, Forbidden Colours organised an official visit by the European Parliament to the offices of Lambda Warszawa. The goal of this visit was to make European policy-makers aware of the needs and struggles LGBTIQ+ civil society organisations in Poland have since the war in Ukraine started. Co-chairs of the LGBTIQ+ Intergroup in the European Parliament MEP Terry Reintke (Greens/EFA – Germany) and MEP Marc Angel (S&D – Luxembourg), as well as MEP Karen Melchior (Renew Europe – Denmark), took part in the visit.