ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship of the Polish LG movement and the Polish state in a context of profound political transformations. It discusses the various factors that contributed to shape LG organizations' relation to the state in three different periods. The first period deals with the emergence of LG groups before and after 1989, and shows that the immediate aftermath of the political transformations did not provide many opportunities. The second period relates to the effects of the legal and institutional changes encouraged by the EU accession process. The third period sees the rise of homophobia as a political resource used by nationalist parties and members of the government, leading to reactions of LG organizations, such as the development of right-based claims, a more systematic resort to transnational strategies, and the simultaneous appropriation of national memory and space. Political transformations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) after 1989 are often referred to as the 'transition to democracy'.
