History

The Equality March in Poznań is one of the oldest in Poland. Discover how it all began!

The first Equality March in Poznań took place long before the founding of Grupa Stonewall.

The first March in our city took place on November 20, 2004, with around 300 participants. It was a grassroots initiative of organizations such as Stowarzyszenie Kobiet Konsola, Lambda Poznań, Zieloni 2004, Nowa Lewica, and individual activists. Due to strong opposition, the March only managed to move around 200 meters.

The following year, the Equality March also faced difficulties. Then-mayor of Poznań, Ryszard Grobelny, tried to ban the event, but it took place anyway. Around 65 people were detained by the police.

In the years that followed, the March was organized by the Equality and Tolerance Days Association and typically took place in late autumn each year.

In 2015, Grupa Stonewall took over the organization of the March. In 2025, the XXI Equality March in Poznań will take place.

2015 - NOW

Stonewall Group

In 2015, the newly established Grupa Stonewall took over organizing the Poznań Equality March. This coincided with a political change in the Poznań City Hall. The new mayor, Jacek Jaśkowiak, joined the March on September 26, 2015, becoming the first Polish city mayor in history to participate in an Equality March.

Events organized by Grupa Stonewall continued to attract a growing number of participants. A festival was built around the March — Poznań Pride Week (now Poznań Pride). Over the last 10 years, hundreds of film screenings, discussions, concerts, debates, theater performances, and other LGBT+ themed events have taken place.

In 2024, a major milestone was reached — the City of Poznań officially became a co-organizer of the Equality March.

2004-2015

Equality and Tolerance Days

The first Organizing Committee of the Equality and Tolerance Days formed as a grassroots initiative of NGOs (Stowarzyszenie Kobiet Konsola, Lambda Poznań), freedom-oriented parties (Zieloni 2004, Nowa Lewica), and individuals who supported the idea of minority groups’ right to freely express their identity.

The first Equality March in Poznań took place on November 20, 2004. The march only covered around 100 meters before being blocked by a large group of aggressive counter-demonstrators. The following year saw similar difficulties. Then-mayor Ryszard Grobelny tried to ban the March again, and about 65 people were detained by the police. A court later ruled the ban unjustified.

In the following years, the March took place with fewer issues, although it was still often met with opposition groups. In 2014, the Equality and Tolerance Days Association, which had been organizing the Marches, was dissolved.