In June, Katia Patin reported on Polish President Andrzej Duda’s homophobic re-election campaign. 

Back in July, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda secured a second term in office on a platform of anti-gay rhetoric. Now, activists say that homophobia is rising within the country. The latest example of this is a government-issued cash reward for a town that has declared itself “free of LGBT ideology.”

The funding was allocated to the southeastern town of Tuchow by the Ministry of Justice after the European Union rejected its application for grants in response to the resolution. Handing over around $68,000, the Polish government has roughly tripled the sum that the municipality could have received from the EU. 

“It’s not just replacing the same amount, it’s giving more to show to other cities that they should not be scared to also make such resolutions,” explained LGBTQ activist and photographer Bart Staszewski.