An LGBT+ rights protest at the Poland-Germany border has shone a light on the growing disparity between the two nations on queer issues. While Germany has progressed significantly on LGBT+ rights in the past few years, introducing same-sex marriage and banning conversion therapy, the picture is far bleaker in Poland – where nationalist politicians have fuelled a rise in public homophobia and anti-LGBT+ extremism. Around 2,000 demonstrators stood up to homophobia on Saturday (September 5) with a protest held jointly by activists in the closely-connected border towns of Slubice, Poland, and Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany, which are separated by a symbolic bridge across the River Oder. German protesters carried signs and banners expressing their love for their LGBT+ Polish neighbours, as the groups marched across the border.