The Rainbow of Flowers

A rainbow made of different colored flowers stands in a field in the middle of a city.

"We thought that instead of sending this gem to a junkyard, we could give it a proper home and let it stand in Warsaw. Warsaw needs art in public spaces, things that will make people and passer-by's smile against their will."

– Paweł Potoroczyn 

In 2012, an art installation by Julita Wojcik was put up in the capital city of Poland, Warsaw, in Plac Zbawiciela. The installation was not originally meant as a queer symbol. It was a rainbow made out of artificial flowers and was meant to be a wholly apolitical symbol as a part of a series. It was moved from its original place in front of the European Parliament by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. It was meant to convey peace, hope, and love.

However, the rainbow has become a symbol for the queer community, as it is on the gay pride flag. Poland's far-right was not pleased to see Ms. Wojik’s sculpture on display, as they misinterpreted it as a symbol of queer rights. That seemed a common factor for how queer people were viewed in Poland; they were allowed to exist, but not in public. 

Poland has always allowed same-sex sexual activity, a rare truth for any country, and now has an equal age of consent law, but same-sex marriage and adoption are still considered illegal. As the political climate for same-sex relationships can be described as mixed at best, the social attitude is even more confusing. An obvious example of this is reflected in Warsaw’s Pride parade.

Pride's legality in Warsaw waffled until 2007 when the ban against it was declared illegal by the European Court of Human Rights. Despite this, the public’s opinion on Pride is still very mixed. Though the parade has grown to have over eighteen thousand attendees, the most recent poll showed that only 45% of Warsaw's population supported the pride parade. 

In the case of the rainbow, the back and forth started with the politicians. Though it is not unusual for politicians not to reflect everyone's exact ideals in a given place, in this case, the politicians showed how deeply prejudice was ingrained in society. Homophobic sentiments were so commonplace that many politicians shared them without fear of ruining their political careers. Bartosz Kownacki called the installation a "gay rainbow," making it clear in his statements that he was not using gay as a positive adjective. 

Stanisław Pięta said that "The hideous rainbow had hurt the feelings of believers," as the art installation was near a church. Priest Tadeusz Rydzyk described it as a "symbol of deviancy" Another politician, after seeing the vandalism of the rainbow, celebrated with homophobic slurs.

Then there was the general population’s reaction to it, and the reason it is so well known: the vandalism. The sculpture was subjected to six counts of arson, the most famous during Polish Independence Day. It was started by members of a far-right march, who damaged other property during their riots.

While it was not originally intended as a symbol of queer pride, when the attacks were shown to be open attacks against the queer community, the queer community quickly adopted it as a symbol. Where there were violently homophobic politicians, there was Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, who announced that the installation "[would] be rebuilt as many times as necessary." She was joined in her support by many Polish celebrities, including Edyta Gorniak and the Swedish ambassador to Poland, who is also an LGBT activist in their own right.

Where there were far-right protesters, there was also the queer community. They organized an event, a peaceful protest, to counter the hate after one of the arson attempts on the rainbow.

Despite promises to the contrary, on August 26th, 2015, the rainbow was taken down overnight.

There are times when a tactical retreat is necessary for a battle. Those fighting against the queer community were fighting with fire, while the queer community was fighting with flowers. Even though it was not intended, a rainbow was seen as an attack against a homophobic government. It incited anger in politicians and the general populous alike. Not only does this speak to the power of art, but it speaks to the nature of the queer community. Though not passive folk; while some may fight with flowers, they fight. Finding a symbol where one was not intended, and using it, to stand up against those who find not only queer symbols but queer existence incendiary.

In June 2018, just before Poland’s Pride celebrations, a new structure was put up — by queer activists this time. To replace the one that had been burned down, a rainbow was installed at the site where the rainbow of flowers had been set on fire the final time. This time around, the rainbow is made of water.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Disclaimer: some of the sources may contain triggering material

Barker, J. (2015, August 19). Feature: Is Poland bowing to hatred by removing this rainbow installation? PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2015/08/19/feature-is-poland-bowing-to-hatred-by-removing-this-rainbow-installation/

Graw Böckler (Director). (2015, August 28). A Rainbow in Warsaw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbuRglGehQU

Joanna Plucinska. (2015, August 19). Warsaw’s Controversial (and Frequently Set Ablaze) Rainbow Statue to Be Removed. Time. https://time.com/3988534/warsaw-rainbow-statue-gay-rights/

Kozlowska, H. (2013, March 22). Rainbow Becomes a Prism to View Gay Rights. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/world/europe/in-warsaw-rainbow-sculpture-draws-attacks.html

L.N. (2013, November 18). Burning the rainbow. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/eastern-approaches/2013/11/18/burning-the-rainbow

Scislowska, M. (2015, August 27). Warsaw’s iconic, controversial rainbow art removed overnight. CTVNews. https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/warsaw-s-iconic-controversial-rainbow-art-removed-overnight-1.2535495

Smith, A. D. (2016, June 11). Thousands march for LGBTI rights in Warsaw amid rising hostility. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/11/thousands-march-for-lgbti-rights-in-warsaw-amid-rising-hostility