Ahead of May 17 — the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia — we speak with Anna Ariabinska, President of HelpNowHUB Fundacja. This is a conversation about safety, dignity, the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, and work that begins with trust. It is also about why countering homophobia, biphobia and transphobia is part of a broader conversation about human dignity, safety and equal access to support.
HelpNowHUB Fundacja works with people in vulnerable situations, including migrants, refugees, representatives of key communities, and people who need social, legal and humanitarian support. This warm conversation is about work, partnership, personal experience, challenges and hope.
Anna, HelpNowHUB is not just work for you. How do you describe what you do?
HelpNowHUB Fundacja is, in a way, my home, my child, my family and my safety. It is everything I can invest myself in. That is why I often talk about my work as my passion, my goal, my inspiration — but at the same time, also as my pain.
Because every day I face the problems of the community — problems we cannot always speak about loudly. Few people live with open faces; this topic is still stigmatized. And if a person has additional vulnerabilities — for example, if they are an LGBTIQ+ person, a migrant, or facing other difficult circumstances — then it is often unsafe to speak about these things officially or publicly, unless you are in a safe space.
For me, this is now a very painful issue and a major problem for our foundation specifically. We receive many reports of rights violations — from employers and in matters related to legalization. The most difficult thing is that people from the community are openly discriminated against, but we cannot always collect evidence. And sometimes, in order to protect a person and their safety, we have to act very anonymously, in ways that do not allow the client to be identified.
So for me, this is work, life, inspiration, and a very important path of growth.
The foundation has been working in Poland for several years now. Do you remember a moment when you especially felt: “We are definitely needed”?
Of course. It always comes through feedback. When I was opening the foundation — and still today — I consult people a lot myself. Every day, I am in direct contact with our clients and our community.
The most important moment is when you look a person in the eyes, when they hold your hand, or simply write: “Ania, I have no one except you.” And I understand very clearly that this is not a figure of speech. It is not just an expression. It means that the person truly has no one to turn to in this country — not even someone who will simply listen to them in a moment of pain, tears, difficulty, or, on the contrary, joy.
It means a lot to me when, on holidays — Mother’s Day, Social Worker’s Day, Psychologist’s Day — I receive messages not only from friends or people who know me as an expert, but also from clients. Sometimes these are people I met only once or twice in my life, but for them it remained important forever.
When people write: “You saved my life” or “your words breathed life back into me,” this is where I feel the deepest need for a service like ours to exist.
With us, people can receive support online, and they can hear a living voice over the phone. Behind every online consultation there is a real person. And we are very proud of that.
We are speaking ahead of May 17 — the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Why, in your view, is it important to talk about homophobia not only within the LGBTIQ+ community?
This is a very important topic. Homophobia, transphobia and biphobia are not just problems of one individual or one community. This is a broader issue that concerns everyone: human rights and, first and foremost, human dignity.
If we talk about this only on specific days and highlight the issue only occasionally, we will not achieve the result we want. We will not live in a free society if we keep these topics “under the carpet” and bring them out only when necessary.
You speak separately about educating young people. Why is this so important?
For me, education is becoming a very important issue now — especially the education of young people. I have teenagers growing up at home, and I see how today’s generation identifies itself and searches for itself through its own identities. They are turning their gaze inward and beginning to study themselves from childhood.
It is very painful for me to see materials that are completely fake and disinformative, claiming that children must not be spoken to about this because they might “catch it” or “become” lesbians, gays or someone else. Many people still mistakenly believe that identity can be picked up from another person.
In reality, the problem is that many people of our generation and older generations simply did not have this information. They understood that something was happening, but they did not know what exactly, how to talk about it, or how to express themselves safely.
For me, the most important thing is for children to grow up with an understanding of their rights and freedoms. And with the understanding that my rights and freedoms end where another person’s rights begin.
I think this is also a path toward preventing bullying in schools and educational environments. The more calm, informative and safe information is shared by educated people, the more positive change we will see in society — both now and in the future.
HelpNowHUB works with migrants, refugees, and representatives of key communities. What makes the situation of LGBTIQ+ people with migration experience especially vulnerable?
I was an ally of the LGBTIQ+ community for many years back in Ukraine. I was connected to this topic, let’s say, not from the inside, but I could see the situation from the outside. Now I am directly connected to this topic because my children are part of the LGBTIQ+ community: they told me about this already while we were in Poland.
And then I had many questions: for example, about changing names, legal issues, access or lack of access to educational institutions, and changing documents — not just names, but documents themselves.
Migrants are in a much more difficult position here. First, all the nuances must be coordinated under the laws of the country of which we are citizens — that is, these issues must be resolved in Ukraine. Then this must be aligned with Polish documentation and Polish legislation — either by changing documents here or acting on the basis of court decisions.
It is a very complicated path.
What barriers do you currently see for LGBTIQ+ migrants in Poland and Ukraine?
Poland, it seems to me, is only at the beginning of its difficult path: adapting the rulings of the European Court, interpreting and transcribing these decisions. The system for registering people and data in Poland is still not really ready to reflect such legal changes — for example, a change of a person’s gender or a name that has already been registered.
At the moment, there are only two options: woman or man. For marriage registration, there is also: woman and man. All these fields — in civil records and other data systems — must first undergo systemic changes. Only after that will we be able to talk about how migrants face these procedures and how they will receive services.
As far as I understand, this process has begun in Poland: the official authorities promise that during 2026 it will already be possible to enter changed data into the system, including formulations such as “person 1” and “person 2.” This is a move toward broader possibilities, so that not only cisgender men and women can correctly reflect themselves in official systems.
The second important issue is access to medical services and hormone therapy: whether it will be paid out of pocket or covered through the NFZ, for example for migrants, we do not know today. And that is why children who are now in adolescence — when it might be the best time to start hormone therapy — are effectively on pause. We do not understand whether, after starting therapy, it will be possible to continue it a month later. And whether this will be possible when moving to another country or returning to Ukraine.
I have many complicated questions regarding legislation. In Ukraine, both the civil and criminal codes are also being rewritten, and there are many difficult points there. To speak very broadly, the problem begins with the approach laid down in the Constitution and then reflected in the civil code: marriage is the expression of the will of a woman and a man.
It seems to me that this is not a path toward democratic values. Both Ukraine, as a young state, and Poland, which is also making its way in Europe, have a complex historical background on this issue. At the same time, there is very strong internal resistance in both countries.
We need to continue working in this direction: run campaigns, go “to the people,” change public opinion, and speak even with those who are completely opposed to this position. We see how painfully nationalist movements in Ukraine and Poland react, placing traditional values at the center of the concepts of marriage, family and the development of the nation.
This is a very provocative topic. But the most important thing for me is access to equal opportunities, equal rights, and the ability to protect oneself as a person and defend one’s dignity anywhere in the world. This is what I would like to reach within my lifetime.
What would you like to say to LGBTIQ+ people who are now struggling, feeling lonely or in pain?
First of all, together we are strong. We are not alone, and no one will be left alone with difficult thoughts or in a difficult situation if they reach out to our HelpNowHUB foundation. We are always ready to extend a hand of support and open our hearts.
And the most important wish for everyone is safety. Safety in every sense of the word: from personal safety to global safety. And I wish that every person, every representative of the community, could seek the truth and protect or defend their rights through legal means. And that this could happen faster, because court processes can be very long.
You mentioned that you consult people yourself. What do clients teach you?
For me, every contact is an experience and an area for growth. I provide consultations on certain specific issues, but every person is an individual. For me, it is an opportunity to look into another universe.
That is why clients are my area of growth, my constant learning. In general, I strongly encourage everyone to learn in different ways. Just as a child comes into this world and begins to learn from everything — simply by observing, listening and asking questions — I still use this method. And it suits me very well.
If we speak about the foundation as “your child”: is there a dream you would really like to bring to life?
We have a very wide range of activities. I cannot say that anything completely passes us by: we participate in cultural projects, testing, the promotion of Ukrainian culture, and countering disinformation. Of course, our main activity is community-related work.
But what I would probably like most is effective social campaigns in the media — campaigns where we could immediately see and feel the results.
There is a lot of information in my own information space. But when I step outside my bubble, I realize that there is still not enough of it. There is not enough open information. I do not see enough people who live openly with their statuses — whether it is HIV status, the ability to speak calmly about one’s bisexuality, or about rights violations that often remain hidden.
Right now, there are so many glaring cases and moments when rights are openly violated, and everyone seems to nod and say: well, okay, this concerns the LGBT community, so we can make an “exception.” It turns out that everyone is equal, but in some moments — not quite.
For me, this is more of a dream. It is difficult to achieve it with one project. I want public opinion to change. In fact, I want the universe to change.
And to finish — a short quick-fire round.
Solidarity is…?
Partnership and safe support. When I clearly understand that there is a shoulder nearby that will support me if I fall.
Safety is…?
Safety is home. That is my immediate association. It is a space, a safe space.
Your superpower at work is…?
I know very clearly that I am creative, that I quickly find a way out of crisis situations — and I am good at that. I am also an energizer who supports many people — personally and more broadly. And I know for sure that I am a leader whom the community and people will follow.
What would you like to wish the community?
Support. Financial support. Because we have a wonderful community, we have wonderful people. We simply lack material resources to change this world for the better. Every day.
May 17 is not just a date in the calendar. It is a reminder that the safety, rights and dignity of LGBTIQ+ people cannot be a “separate issue.” It is part of a shared conversation about a society in which every person has the right to be themselves, receive support and not be left alone.
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This publication was prepared by Fundacją HelpNow HUB within the framework of the project “From heart to heart” in partnership with Fundacja Step by Step and Fundacja Res Humanae, with financial support from the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
