LGBT Sexualities and Migration

My paper will focus on LGBT sexualities and migration. It is based on research done with Poles who arrived into the UK within the recent time. Poles migrate from a rather nationalistic and religious context, where particular versions of gender and sexuality are promoted and as a result many sexual rights are not accessible including the possibility to register a same-sex civil partnership or to adopt a child by same-sex couples. Moreover, homophobia is still prevalent and such ‘sexual context’ is also influenced by the state and the Catholic Church. However, the lesbian and gay movement is actively working to change this situation. Poles migrate to a context which is more secular and where some sexual rights mentioned above are accessible and where religious institutions have lesser impact on sexual policy making even though homophobia is still prevalent to some extent. Therefore, it is interesting to look at how this migration influences views of Poles ad how they experience a new sexual environment in the UK. The research showed that for many straight Poles migration to the UK provided an opportunity to observe different sexual arrangements that provoked reflection and in some cases led to progressive changes in views on lesbian and gay sexualities. Some saw sexuality context in Poland as taboo and restrictive, whilst in the UK it was considered to be an openly discussed area of social life and this was appreciated. Moreover, some gay Poles gained an opportunity to ‘come out’ once in the UK and live their sexuality out in the open.