Tens of thousands of people marched in Warsaw's Pride parade on June 17 to demand equality for LGBTQ+ people ahead of the Polish elections. The country's right-wing government, which is seeking re-election, has focused on opposing what it calls "LGBT ideology" in previous campaigns. But Warsaw's mayor vowed that the LGBTQ+ community would always be safe. Rafal Trzaskowski, from the liberal opposition party, told crowds, "And I hope that you all will be safe in Poland." Same-sex relationships are not legally recognized in Poland, and the country already bans same-sex couples from adopting children. There are also obstacles facing transgender people who seek to formalize their transition. Poland's ruling conservative nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) says that extending marriage and adoption to gay couples threatens traditional family structures and is harmful to children. Activists expect that these issues will be used by the party to mobilize conservative voters in the predominantly Catholic country during this year's elections in October or November. Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo said, "We will not let ourselves be influenced by those who want to extinguish women's rights, minority rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and today, I want to say to you that in Paris just as in Warsaw, we are also totally in solidarity and engaged with you for the rights of transgender people." #LGBTQ+ Civil Rights