Dancing with the Stars Poland gives Olympian same-sex partner in major win for queer representation
Polish rower Katarzyna Zillmann is one half of Poland’s first female same-sex couple on Poland’s Dancing with the Stars. (Polsat)
Polish rower Katarzyna Zillmann is one half of Poland’s first female same-sex couple on Poland's Dancing with the Stars. (Polsat)
Dancing with the Stars Poland has given Olympian Katarzyna Zillmann a same-sex partner in a major win for queer representation in the country.
In April, Poland abolished its last remaining so-called “LGBT-free” zone in the country in a win for queer rights, six years after the zones first began appearing around the country.
The much-loved Dancing with the Stars is expanding the country’s queer inclusion by featuring a same-sex female couple – a first in the history of the Polish edition of the show – with the celebrity of the pair being Katarzyna Zillmann. Her partner is expert Janja Lesar.
Olympic rower Zillmann told the world she was queer in 2021 after winning a silver medal for Poland at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.
Zillmann took to Instagram to express her excitement at representing the queer community in Poland once more, this time through Dancing with the Stars.
‘This is what humanity is all about’
She shared a powerful video of her and Lesar dancing, writing: “Life writes beautiful scripts. Years of intensive training have led me to the dance floor, where alongside an outstanding teacher I can find myself again and fall in love with dancing without limits.
“The energy that flows between our bodies is incredibly beautiful. Let’s not let her pass us by. What’s worse to hold back. This is what our humanity is all about.”
Upon coming out, Zillmann said that she hoped to use her platform as an Olympic medallist to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. She said of coming out: “I know that in this way I will help others.
“It was enough that I showed up in a T-shirt with the words ‘Sport against homophobia’ and I got a few messages from young girls practicing rowing.
“One of them opened up to me, described her difficult home situation to me, and confessed that I helped her a lot with my attitude. One such message is enough to completely forget about thousands of hate comments and disgusted faces.”
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