Equal Treatment in a Courtroom – access to justice of LGBTI persons

2026-07-22

Despite being constantly discriminated against in the public sphere, LGBTI persons very rarely choose to report such incidents or initiate legal proceedings. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the trust of LGBTI people in the justice system. This can be accomplished by developing a comprehensive model of training for legal professionals. The training should cover legal standards for non-discrimination (including EU law), and soft skills. It is important to make the courtroom more LGBTI-friendly. It is also necessary to introduce a tool which will allow lawyers to self-assess whether they treat LGBTIs in an appropriate way. The main activities of the project will include: development of a comprehensive training for judges and other lawyers in the area of equal treatment of LGBTI persons and creation of an innovative tool for lawyers, designed to enable them to self-assess their awareness of and sensitivity to different aspects of discrimination experienced by LGBTI persons. A total of 120 judges and 120 lawyers will take part in 6 training courses organised in different locations across Poland. The training will focus on soft skills as well as legal standards concerning the prohibition of discrimination against LGBTI persons. We will also prepare the on-line lectures. The project will also involve the development of a guide on the preparation of training courses for legal professionals on the treatment of different minority groups. The project will improve the practical knowledge of international and EU standards of protection of LGBTI persons against discrimination. Legal professionals will also learn about the specific needs of LGBTI people that need to be accommodated in the course of procedural steps and will be sensitised to stereotypes and prejudices about LGBTI persons. The trust of LGBTI persons in the justice system will improve, which should lead to an increase in the number of reported cases of abuse based on intolerance and prejudice.

Poland

2026-02-15