Jacek Jelonek is a model and an influencer. He has worked with many celebrities, including Mario Testino and Natasha Poly. He starred in the first Polish homosexual entertainment programme "Prince Charming Poland". In this show he met his current partner Oliver Kubiak.

Oliver Kubiak is an influencer and the owner of OK Productions agency. He also took part in "Prince Charming Poland" just like his partner Jacek. The men met on the set of the popular show and knew that this would not be a one-off adventure in the media.

The two became a couple and decided to make good use of their fame. One of the most important challenges for Jacek and Oliver is to help LGBTQ+ people to fight against inequality. When they spoke to their friend and lawyer Magdalena Niewelt, the woman made them aware that the situation for single-sex couples in Poland is far from perfect, however not so unequivocally bad either.

"One evening we were sitting around the table thinking about how can we be of more service to the community of which we are part of. There were ideas of starting a podcast or writing a book about us. However, we noticed and agreed that the legal language, especially for people living in same-sex relationships in Poland, is not friendly enough and decided upon helping them understand often complex terms to make their lives easier," says Jacek Jelonek.

A comic book for LGBTQ+ people

At some point, the men came up with the idea of an educational and legal comic book. It is intended to explain and facilitate everyday life for same-sex couples living in Poland in an accessible way. And so, in collaboration with Niewelt, they published "Love Story Called Life".

Jacek, Oliver, their dog Fluff and the lawyer Magdalena all became cartoon characters. As comic book heroes they are confronted with various dilemmas that they have to deal with. Each theme is drawn out in the form of scenes. The artist Tysirr is responsible for the visual form and illustrations.

"Love Story Called Life" addresses issues such as:

• employment discrimination and harassment;
• testamentary and intestate succession;
• identity and trade mark theft;
• harassment;
• acquisition of immovable property by foreign nationals;
• exposure to infection;
• refusal to testify;
• temporary residence (when the partner is not from Poland);
• pre-emptive right in a co-partnership;
• relationship settlements;
• dissemination of nudity;
• preserving the image of a naked person;
• medical information;
• entering into a tenancy relationship;
• and defamation/insult.

"I didn't realise I was going to get so emotional", "Bravo and thanks on behalf of everyone benefiting from this", "Awesome, congratulations, I knew when you guys do something, it must have a deeper meaning". These are just some of the comments on Jelonek's Instagram in response to the publication's release.

Jelonek and Kubiak's comic is available in physical and digital form. It is worth mentioning here that so far same-sex marriages have been legalised in places like:

• Netherlands;
• Belgium;
• Spain;
• Canada;
• South Africa;
• Norway;
• Sweden;
• Mexico;
• Portugal;
• Iceland;
• and Argentina.

Surely this book will make life easier for many people from the LGBTQ+ community.

What do you think of the idea of a comic book for LGBTQ+ people?