Freemuse, the artistic freedom monitoring organization, examined 149 acts of violations of artistic freedom against LGBTQI+ artists and art documented in 39 countries and in online spaces in the period between January 2018 and June 2020, “varying from those countries which criminalize homosexuality, penalize the so-called ‘promotion of homosexuality’ or impose no legal restrictions for the engagement of LGBTQI+ artists or promotion of queer artworks in public spaces, all of these legislative frameworks leave room for the suppression of artistic freedoms to some degree.” 25 Obviously, the documentation only portrayed “the tip of the iceberg” as most violations and acts of self-censorship are never recorded or documented. The report nevertheless showed that artistic expression tackling LGBTQI+ experiences exists in most countries, regardless of the political, legal, and social hurdles. What differs between these varying contexts is the extent to which “artists can access audiences, professional networks, cultural institutions, financial support and platforms to promote their work. They are also subject to varying levels of public disapproval, rejection, threats and violence and other forms of mistreatment.”26 The Rainbow Madonna of Elżbieta Podleśna In 2019, The Polish LGBTQI+ and feminist activist Elżbieta Podleśna was arrested in connection with a poster of the Virgin Mary with a halo painted in the colours of the rainbow flag (symbolizing the LGBTQI+ community) which appeared in the city of Płock in late April. The poster became known as the Rainbow Madonna. Before the arrest, police authorities searched her home and confiscated a laptop, mobile phone and memory cards. She was detained for several hours on allegations of “offending religious beliefs”. Although in July 2019, a court in Płock ruled that her detention was unjustified, the judge still argued that it was legal.27 In March 2021 Elżbieta Podleśna together with two other women human rights defenders were acquitted by the court of Plock of the charges of “offending religious beliefs” under article 196 of the Criminal Code of Poland.28 25 https://freemuse.org/media/ub5lbjy5/painting-the-rainbow-digital-5.pdf 26 ibid 27 ibid 28 https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/women-human-rights-defenders-acquitted-rainbow-virgin-mary-case#case-update-id-13386 26