Warsaw Registers Poland's First Same-Sex Marriage

Warsaw registered its first same-sex marriage on Thursday after implementing court rulings that require the country to recognize same-sex marriages registered abroad. The European Union's highest court ordered Poland in November to register same-sex marriages entered into in other EU countries even if Polish law does not permit them domestically.

In March, Poland's Supreme Administrative Court cited that ruling when it ordered authorities to recognize the marriage in Germany of two Polish men. "This morning we issued the first transcription of a marriage certificate for a same-sex couple, in accordance with the court rulings," the mayor announced.

The mayor also promised the city would proactively recognize other Polish same-sex marriages registered elsewhere in the EU even without a specific court ruling. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that his government would find ways to implement the rulings as soon as possible.

" Tusk appealed to Polish officials to respect the dignity of each individual regardless of personal opinions. He said these people live around us, among us, near us, and deserve the same feelings of respect, dignity and love as any other person. LGBTQ+ individuals have sought equal rights for decades in Poland, where same-sex marriage and civil partnerships remain illegal.

The court rulings do not require Poland to legalize same-sex marriage domestically. Tusk's government took office with a promise to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples. Resistance from conservatives within the governing coalition and from the president has stalled those efforts.

Poland's Supreme Administrative Court applied that decision in March to a specific case involving two Polish men married in Germany. City officials acted on those decisions Thursday when they transcribed the foreign marriage certificate into Polish records. The action marks the first such registration in the country.