Gay “iology” is worse than munism, says Poland’s print

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• GAY “IOLOGY” IS WORSE THAN MUNISM, SAYS POLAND’S PRINT

GAY “IOLOGY” IS WORSE THAN MUNISM, SAYS POLAND’S PRINT

Crics say PiS has an anti-gay LGBT rights group ILGA-Europe says Poland is the worst-performg untry the EU terms of LGBT rights, an x published last won a majory parliament wh a nservative-natnalist agenda strong on Catholic valu, cludg support for tradnal fai and opposn to gay marriage.

Speakg to supporters Brzeg, southwtern Poland, Mr Duda said "parents are rponsible for the sexual tn of their children, " and " is not possible for any stutns to terfere the way parents raise their children" 10 June he signed a "Fay Charter" of electn proposals, cludg pledg to prevent gay upl om marryg or adoptg children and to ban teachg about LGBT issu schools. The stggle for gay rights is a foreign ncept imported om the US and Wtern Europe, he adds, and threatens the tradnal heterosexual Polish fay.

Fd out moreWh state-sanctned homophobia and a largely hostile media, Polish gay people risk beg phed back to the closet, pecially small towns. Image ptn, Bart Staszewski SwidnikWhen I arrive on a Saturday morng, half a dozen gay activists are the ma square handg out leaflets, "love is love" stickers and iced doughnuts wh multi-loured sprkl.

Their spokman, Bart Staszewski, has anised what he lled a queer tour of Poland's east to show people that gay people are "normal cizens" adds: "We are the rabow myth-bters.

"Swidnik ee of rabow propaganda, " they yell, tryg to drown out the sound of the breezy pop mic g om the speakers of the gay rights activists.

" He adds that many gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr Pol have recently emigrated to pe Tuchow, a town of 6, 500 people found medieval tim, which has also clared self ee of "LGBT iology", I meet a gay teenager a lol park. Still, that don't mean is easy to be gay this part of Poland, 100km east of ptn, Poland has been lled the worst untry the EU for LGBT rights"Once, when my boyiend and I were holdg hands", he says, "we heard a few people shoutg nam at .

Durg his re-electn mpaign June, Print Duda signed a "Fay Charter, " cludg pledg to prevent gay upl om marryg or adoptg children and to ban teachg about LGBT issu schools. But she tells me she is not agast gay people and was appalled when she received hate mail om all over the world.

Rather, 's that the polil parti, the European Unn - and the LGBT anisatns - they're all g Tuchow to pursue their own terts, " she Polish policians have stood up for gay rights.

Some even held up pi of the nstutn to show that they believe the print has vlated the untry's legal a number of gay activists feel let down by liberal policians who have failed to take ncrete actns. The nservative chary regularly sends tcks wh loudspeakers around Polish ci wh a msage nflatg homosexualy and sex tn wh paedophilia. ""Basilly the msage they've been blastg through those loudspeakers is that gays rape children, " says Margot, who has jt been released om prison.

"I jt read a post on Twter that one of the gay activists has said that the time for peaceful stggle is over", says Matsz Marzoch prottg outsi Warsaw's universy. " It effectively equat homosexualy wh pedophilia clarg that the cy admistratn is mted to "Dog everythg to stop perverts who are terted the early sexualizatn of Polish children and adolcents.

Signifint progrs has been difficult, sce Poland has been facg a le-of-law crisis gog back to at least 2017, when the right-wg Law and Jtice, or PiS party began spreadg s fluence on key bodi such as the Constutnal crisis the judiciary ns so ep that the EU iated Article 7 proceedgs agast Poland, which spend certa rights for member stat if they are emed to persistently be breach of the EU’s fundamental European Commissn lnched legal proceedgs agast Poland at the European Court of Jtice (ECJ), a se known as Commissn v Poland, and the ECJ orred Poland to spend the laws that terfere wh the pennce of the ignored the the untry’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Marc Wiącek, has cid to tackle both the homophobic rolutns and the falterg legal system at the same Office of the Ombudsman, while formally an stutn fanced by the ernment, exists many untri as an pennt one-man state body wh the mandate to lnch quiri to vlatns of human rights perpetrated by any stutn or body the his electn was marred by difficulty, wh PiS blockg the opposn-backed ndidate for 10 months. Earlier this month, he signed a “Fay Charter” promisg to ntue to ban gay marriage and adoptn and to prevent schools om verg LGBT, a lawyer om Krakow who has been print sce 2015, is a member of the nservative-natnalist Law and Jtice (PiS) party. Lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and other queer people, beg dividuals, do not hold monolhic polil opns, even among activists.

greater medil support for some of the special challeng they may faceIn the words of the Amerin LGBT nonprof GLAAD, “Lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people want equal rights, not special rights. For 30 days, begng January 17, European Unn missners received daily Twter notifitns lkg to personal stori of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) Pol who have been harmed by the so-lled “LGBT Iology Free Zon” or anti-LGBT “Fay Charters” nearly 100 Polish regns, towns, and ci.