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• THE POLISH GOVERNMENT IS ATTACKG LGBTQ PEOPLE. THE ACTIVISTS ARE FIGHTG BACK.BRAVEAS POLAND’S RIGHT-WG ERNMENT NTU TO WHIP UP PUBLIC AND STUTNAL HATE AGAST LGBTQ MUNI, THOSE ON THE ONTLE SAY THE IMPACT HAS BEEN VASTATG.JOSEPHE HUETLUPDATED OCT. 01, 2020 5:18PM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 01, 2020 4:38AM EDT BEATA ZAWRZEL/NURPHOTO VIA GETTYTHIS PIECE WAS ORIGALLY PUBLISHED CODA STORY’S DISRMATN CHANNEL.JTYNA SZPANOWSKA WAS CYCLG THROUGH WARSAW MID-AUGT, WHEN SHE HEARD WHAT, AT FIRST, SOUND LIKE A RONAVIS PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT. AS SHE GOT CLOSER TO S SOURCE, SHE REALIZED WAS NOTHG OF THE SORT. FOLLOWG THE SOUND, SHE ME ACROSS A TCK SLOWLY MAKG S WAY DOWN A BY ROAD THE CY CENTER. ITS BACK WAS LED WH SPEAKERS PLAYG A PRERERD MSAGE, WARNG PASSERSBY THAT GAY UPL M PEDOPHILIA AGAST BABI.IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS A BLOGGER WH THE ULTRANSERVATIVE LGBT HATE GROUP “FUNDACJA PRO—PRAWO DO ŻYCIA” (PRO RIGHT TO LIFE FOUNDATN), HOLDG A MERA. SZPANOWSKA, AN ACTIVIST WH THE LEFT-WG RAZEM (LEFT TOGETHER) PARTY, EXPLAED THAT AROUND 100 PEOPLE HAD GATHERED NEAR THE VEHICLE TO EXPRS THEIR OUTRAGE AT S MSAGE. “I’M SURE HE WAS TRYG TO PROVOKE A REACTN OM THE CROWD FOR TAMENT,” SHE SAID. SCE S 2015 ELECTN VICTORY, POLAND’S RIGHT-WG LAW AND JTICE PARTY HAS LEVERAGED PREJUDICE AGAST THE LGBTQ MUNY FOR POLIL GA. IN 2019’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTNS, PRIME MISTER JAROSLAW KACZYNSKI CLAIMED HIS VICTORY WOULD PREVENT “HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAG.” AND, AHEAD OF LAST MONTH’S PRINTIAL POLLS, PRINT ANDRZEJ DUDZA SCRIBED THE NCEPT OF LGBTQ RIGHTS AS “WORSE THAN MUNISM.”ALONG WH HATE-MONGERG AGAST QUEER PEOPLE, THE POLISH ERNMENT HAS EQUENTLY REFERRED TO “GENR IOLOGY,” AN TERNATNAL NSPIRACY THEORY THAT CLAIMS MARXISTS ARE PLOTTG TO STROY WHE NUCLEAR HOEHOLDS BY ERASG DIFFERENC BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. ATTACKG “IMPORTED” SEXUALY AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS WHILE PLEDGG ALLEGIANCE TO THE “PRO TRADNAL FAY” IS WHAT HISTORIAN ANDREA PETO SCRIB AS “A NATNALIST NEONSERVATIVE RPONSE TO THE CRISIS OF THE GLOBAL NEOLIBERAL WORLD ORR.” “IT IS THE MOST AGGRSIVE HOMOPHOBIC MPAIGN I HAVE SEEN MY LIFE.”— KATARZYNA WARECKA THE IMPACT HAS BEEN VASTATG. IN THE PAST YEAR, NEARLY 100 LOL ERNMENTS, REPRENTG A THIRD OF POLAND’S TERRORY, CLARED THEMSELV “LGBT EE ZON.” A 2020 REPORT OM AN AMIC AT NILS COPERNIC UNIVERSY TOń TIMAT THAT THE NUMBER OF QUEER PEOPLE UNR THE AGE OF 25 WHO ATTEMPT SUICI CREASED OM 30 PERCENT 2016 TO 45 PERCENT 2020. KOLODZIEJ FOUND THAT 84 PERCENT OF YOUNG LGBTQ PEOPLE ARE NOW HAVG SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.“I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOG TO HAPPEN,” SAID HELENA CLEYRE, A 29-YEAR-OLD TRANS-ACTIVIST WHO LIV WARSAW. ALMOST EVERY DAY SHE HEARS ABOUT ATTACKS AGAST LGBTQ PEOPLE.“MOSTLY WHAT I AM THKG ABOUT IS IMMIGRATN,” SAID CLEYRE. “I WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE A CIZEN. I DON’T WANT MY NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE PUBLIC TO TREAT ME LIKE I AM NOT A HUMAN BEG.”IN APRIL 2019, THE ULTRANSERVATIVE LGBT HATE GROUP “FUNDACJA PRO — PRAWO DO ŻYCIA” (PRO RIGHT TO LIFE FOUNDATN), DROVE A R AROUND THE CY OF GNIEZNO, A CATHOLIC STRONGHOLD WTERN POLAND, WH A BANNER THAT READ, “WHAT THE LGBT LOBBY WANTS TO TEACH KIDS: MASTURBATN; NSENTG TO SEX; FIRST SEXUAL EXPERIENC AND ASM. STOP PEDOPHILIA.” SCE THEN, THE RS AND VANS HAVE BEE A MON SIGHT BIG CI.“IT IS THE MOST AGGRSIVE HOMOPHOBIC MPAIGN I HAVE SEEN MY LIFE,” SAID KATARZYNA WARECKA, A LAWYER FOR THE LGBTQ GROUP TOLERADO, BASED THE PREDOMANTLY LIBERAL PORT CY OF GDANSK. LAST YEAR, SHE TRIED TO SUE FUNDACJA PRO FOR “SPREADG FALSE AND HOMOPHOBIC NTENT ABOUT THE ALLEGED LK BETWEEN PEDOPHILIA AND HOMOSEXUALY.” HOWEVER, THE URT LED AGAST . SUBSEQUENTLY, NONE OF THE CY’S SCHOOLS, UNCILS AND OTHER PUBLIC STUTNS HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAST THE GROUP.MORE RECENTLY, PEOPLE HAVE STARTED NONTG FUNDACJA PRO’S VANS DIRECTLY ON THE STREET. ON AUGT 8, GENR-NON-BARY LGBTQ ACTIVIST MALGORZATA SZUTOWICZ WAS HELD PRE-TRIAL TENTN FOR THREE WEEKS FOR SLASHG THE TIR OF ONE SUCH VEHICLE. IN THE PROTTS THAT FOLLOWED, THE POLICE ARRTED 48 PEOPLE, CLUDG ONE PASSERBY WHO HAD SIMPLY EXED A NEARBY GROCERY SHOP AND WAS RRYG A SHOPPG BAG. A WEEK AFTER SZUTOWICZ’S ARRT, 27-YEAR-OLD SOFTWARE VELOPER L LEWANDOWSKI SAW A FACEBOOK POST ABOUT A FUNDACJA PRO VAN NEAR HIS WARSAW APARTMENT. HE ARRIVED AT THE SCENE TIME TO TRY AND VER UP THE VAN’S MASSIVE BANNER WH SWIRLS OF ORANGE-LORED GRAFFI. THE CINT WAS FILMED BY MACIEJ ZEMLA, A REPORTER OM THE RIGHT-WG ONLE TV CHANNEL ZEMLA MA A NAME FOR HIMSELF MAY 2019 BY FILMG AN LGBTQ VOLLEYBALL EVENT WHOUT PERMISSN AND G THE FOOTAGE TO GIVE THE FALSE IMPRSN OF A GAY PLOT TO BRG “EROTIC GADGETS” TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS.LEWANDOWSKI IS ONE OF THE 48 PEOPLE WHO WERE ARRTED DURG THE PROTTS AFTER SZUTOWICZ’S ARRT. SCE THEN, HE HAS TO REPORT TO HIS LOL POLICE STATN TWICE A WEEK. HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WH BEG PART OF A PLOT TO VLENTLY ATTACK PROPERTY. THE CHARG ARE “PLETELY BOG”, HE SAID. “MOSTLY WHAT I AM THKG ABOUT IS IMMIGRATN. I WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE A CIZEN. I DON’T WANT MY NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE PUBLIC TO TREAT ME LIKE I AM NOT A HUMAN BEG.” LEWANDOWSKI HAS FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE OF THE WORSENG CLIMATE FOR LGBTQ MUNI POLAND. IN AUGT, HE AND HIS BOYIEND WERE BEATEN UP BY TWO STRANGERS, WHO HAD SEEN THEM WALKG HAND--HAND. DPE THE BLEAK SUATN, HE SE SOME POSSIBILY FOR CHANGE AND PLANS TO N FOR OFFICE POLAND’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTNS THREE YEARS’ TIME.WHILE LIBERAL POLICIANS ED TO CLAIM TO BE “NTRAL” ON QUEER RIGHTS STGGL, LAST MONTH, A GROUP OF POLISH OPPOSN MP’S ME TO PARLIAMENT DRSED THE LORS OF THE RABOW, ORR TO PROTT THE ERNMENT’S OPENLY HATEFUL RHETORIC. “IF THE CURRENT ERNMENT FALLS,” SAID LEWANDOWSKI, “WE WILL PROBABLY GET RIGHTS THAT WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTG FOR.” SPEARHEADG ANTI-LGBTQ MPAIGNMARIZ DZIERZAWSKI, WHO FOUND FUNDACJA PRO 2005, SCRIB HIMSELF AS A CHRISTIAN “SEEKER OF TTH.” HE IS ALSO KNOWN AS POLAND’S “MOST RADIL ANTI-ABORTNIST”, EVEN THOUGH THE UNTRY ALREADY HAS SOME OF THE STRICTT ABORTN LAWS EUROPE. SCE 2015, THE GROUP HAS TURNED S ATTENTN TO CRIMALIZG SEX TN SCHOOLS, WH A HOMOPHOBIC MPAIGN LLED “STOP PAEDOPHILIA.”ON S MPAIGN WEBSE, FUNDACJA PRO SPREADS PSDOSCIENCE AND DISRMATN THAT PURPORTS TO LK LGBTQ PEOPLE AND SEX TN TO PEDOPHILIA.THE GROUP BAS S MANY CLAIMS ON THE REARCH OF TWO U.S. SOCLOGIST MARK REGNES AND PSYCHOLOGIST PL CAMERON, WHOSE DISCREDED WORK IS CED BY A WI VARIETY OF ANTI-LGBTQ GROUPS.MALGORZATA SZUTOWICZ IS A FOUNDG MEMBER OF THE QUEER ACTIVIST GROUP STOP BZDUROM (STOP THE BULLSH). FOUND ONE YEAR AGO, S MEMBERS ANIZED DANCE EVENTS TO BLOCK FUNDACJA PRO’S VANS—WHICH SOME ACTIVISTS LL “HOMOPHOB”—AND RMATN STALLS. MORE RECENTLY, HAS PUT RABOW FLAGS AND ANARCHIST SYMBOLS ON STATU WARSAW, ENRAGG POLAND’S NSERVATIVE ERNMENT. “WE TRY TO SAY THGS LIKE: ‘HI, I AM LGBT, DO I LOOK LIKE I AM STROYG POLAND?’ SOMETIM WORKS.” “WE ARE ONLY THREE, FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE AT TIM,” SZUTOWICZ SAID. “WE WOULD DO OUR ACTNS, POST ABOUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND WA FOR FEEDBACK.”SZUTOWICZ AND HER PARTNER LANIA MAJ STARTED THE GROUP AFTER THEY ME ACROSS A FUNDACJA PRO RMATN STALL, WHERE VOLUNTEERS WERE HANDG OUT LEAFLETS AND LLECTG SIGNATUR TO SUPPORT THEIR “STOP PAEDOPHILIA” LAW.THIS PROPOSED LEGISLATN MANDS JAIL SENTENC FOR ANYONE WHO TEACH SEX TN TO PEOPLE UNR THE AGE OF 18. FUNDACJA PRO’S BILL WAS -DRAFTED BY A LOBBYG GROUP NAMED THE ORDO IURIS INSTUTE FOR LEGAL CULTURE—AN OFFSHOOT OF AN TERNATNAL ULTRA-NSERVATIVE CATHOLIC WORK KNOWN AS TRADN, FAY AND PROPERTY.IN JUNE 2019, HELENA CLEYRE JOED SZUTOWICZ AND MAJ TO PROTT AGAST A FUNDACJA PRO STALL THE CY OF POZNAN. UPON ARRIVAL, THEY WERE STOPPED AND QUTNED BY POLICE OFFICERS.“FOR MANY YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS TO GET BASIC RIGHTS LEGALLY FOR NON-STRAIGHT PEOPLE POLAND BUT THIS HAS FAILED,” SAID CLEYRE. “MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE WHAT THE FUNDACJA PRO TCKS SAY, BEE THE LOL PRIT IS SAYG , THE LOL POLICIAN IS SAYG AND PECIALLY BEE YOU HAVE NO SEXUAL TN SCHOOLS.”AS THE ATTACKS AGAST LGBTQ MUNI HAVE CREASED, ACTIVISTS HAVE FOUND THEMSELV FACG A NEW ONT—THE 100 LOL ERNMENTS WHICH HAVE SIGNED NON-LEGALLY BDG CHARTERS TO CLARE THEMSELV “EE OM LGBT IOLOGY”. IN JULY, THE EUROPEAN UNN ANNOUNCED WOULD NO LONGER PROVI FUNDG TO SIX OF THE “LGBT-EE” POLISH TOWNS. “IT’S REALLY DIFFICULT BEE YOU N WASTE SO MUCH TIME TRYG TO NVCE JT ONE PERSON. WE TRY TO SAY THGS LIKE: ‘HI, I AM LGBT, DO I LOOK LIKE I AM STROYG POLAND?’ SOMETIM WORKS.”— HELENA CLEYRE IN SEPTEMBER 2019, HELENA CLEYRE AND SOME OF HER IENDS H THE ROAD UNR THE LLECTIVE BANNER OF THE QUEER TOUR. THEIR PLAN WAS TO DRIVE TO SO-LLED LGBT-EE ZON, TALK TO LOL PEOPLE AND BUNK THE ERNMENT’S PROPAGANDA. “IT’S REALLY DIFFICULT BEE YOU N WASTE SO MUCH TIME TRYG TO NVCE JT ONE PERSON,” CLEYRE SAID. “WE TRY TO SAY THGS LIKE: ‘HI, I AM LGBT, DO I LOOK LIKE I AM STROYG POLAND?’ SOMETIM WORKS.”ON A RECENT WEEKEND, QUEER TOUR WENT TO THE SOUTH-EASTERN CY OF DEBI. AFTER SETTG UP THEIR STALL, POLICE OFFICERS SURROUND THEM AND MA THEM LEAVE, WHILE THE TOWN’S MAYOR TOLD THEM THEIR ACTNS WERE “ILLEGAL.”QUEER TOUR AND STOP BZDUROM SEND PACKAG OF STICKERS, ICS AND BOOKS TO YOUNG LGBTQ PEOPLE ALL OVER POLAND. THE STICKERS SAY THGS LIKE “I AM NOT AN IOLOGY” OR SHOW FAMO FIGUR, CLUDG J CHRIST, ON A RABOW BACKGROUND. SCE SZUTOWICZ’S ARRT, THE GROUPS’ GO-TO PRT SHOP IS AAID TO PRODUCE MATERIAL FOR THEM. “THEY SENT EMAILS TO SAY THAT THEY SUPPORT WHAT WE DO, BUT HALF OF OUR SIGNS ARE PROBABLY TOO NTROVERSIAL,” SZUTOWICZ SAID, VIA SKYPE.SZUTOWICZ IS STILL FACG MULTIPLE CHARG FOR HANGG RABOW FLAGS ON WARSAW MONUMENTS AND FOR SLASHG THE TIR OF THE FUNDACJA PRO VAN.IN AUGT, STOP BZDUROM RECEIVED $80,000 DONATNS, WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO SMALL LLECTIV ACROSS POLAND. BUT THE POLISH CROWDFUNDG PLATFORM ZRZUTKA REF TO LET THE GROUP WHDRAW THE FUNDS.I RECENTLY SPOKE TO SZUTOWICZ AND HER LIFE PARTNER LU, WHO IS NON-BARY, VIA SKYPE. THEY HAD JT ORRED PIZZA AND WERE GETTG READY TO GO TO A HOE PARTY.SZUTOWICZ EXPLAED THAT STOP BZDUROM HAS BEEN FORCED TO HALT S ACTIVI SCE SHE AND LU HAVE RECENTLY BEEN FOLLOWED BY PLACLOTH POLICE OFFICERS. “BEE OF POLICE VTIGATNS AGAST AND BEG STALKED ALL THE TIME, WE (STOP BZDUROM) ARE NOT ABLE TO MAKE ANY NEW ACTNS RIGHT NOW,” SZUTOWICZ SAID.MEANWHILE, TERNATNAL MPAIGNERS HAVE ASKED THE EU TO PROTECT POLAND’S LGBTQ MUNI. LAST WEEK, ACTIVISTS LIVERED A PETN WH MORE THAN 340,000 SIGNATUR MANDG THE EU FIGHT BACK AGAST HOMOPHOBIC HATE POLAND’S “LGBT-EE” ZON. THE PETN, LNCHED BY THE GLOBAL EQUALY MOVEMENT ALL OUT, URGED THE EU’S MISSNER FOR EQUALY, HELENA DALLO, TO NOUNCE THE DISCRIMATORY POLICI AND PASS LEGISLATN ON HATE CRIM TO PROTECT THE POLISH LGBTQ MUNY.IN A SIGN OF CREASG TERNATNAL NCERN OVER THE TREATMENT OF LGBTQ PEOPLE, 50 AMBASSADORS TO POLAND EARLIER THIS WEEK WROTE AN OPEN LETTER LLG ON WARSAW TO HELP FE “AN ENVIRONMENT OF NON-DISCRIMATN, TOLERANCE AND MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE.” THE SIGNATORI, CLUDG AMBASSADORS OM THE U.S. AND BRA, URGED POLAND TO “END DISCRIMATN, PARTICULAR ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN OR GENR INTY.”LU, WHO HAS RECENTLY STARTED THEIR OWN LLECTIVE TO HANG UP RABOW FLAGS AROUND WARSAW AND THROW PAT OVER HOMOPHOBIC BANNERS PUBLIC, WAS MORE OPTIMISTIC. SHE READ OUT A FACEBOOK MSAGE SHE’D JT RECEIVED OM A STRANGER, WHO’D WRTEN TO SAY, “THANK I SEE THE FLAG, I SEE THAT SOMEONE IS FIGHTG FOR ME.”THE MORNG AFTER WE SPOKE, SZUTOWICZ TEXTED ME TO SAY SHE AND LU HAD BEEN ASSLTED TWICE AFTER THE PARTY. LATER THAT EVENG, SHE TEXTED ME AGA: LU HAD JT BEEN ATTACKED BY A MAN NEAR HIS HOE. “THE MAN HAD KEYS HIS HANDS SO LU HAS BIS AND SWELLG,” SZUTOWICZ WROTE.“THE SUATN IS GETTG WORSE ON MANY ONTS POLAND AND THE PROBLEMS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME,” SHE ADD. “SO IF GETS WORSE, I HAVE THIS STUPID MDSET OF ‘I HAVE TO WORK HARR BEE ’S NOT ENOUGH.’ BUT MANY OF MY IENDS AND I ARE A SUATN WHERE YOU PHYSILLY NNOT DO ANYTHG MORE.” JOSEPHE HUETL

THE POLISH GOVERNMENT IS ATTACKG LGBTQ PEOPLE. THE ACTIVISTS ARE FIGHTG BACK.BRAVEAS POLAND’S RIGHT-WG ERNMENT NTU TO WHIP UP PUBLIC AND STUTNAL HATE AGAST LGBTQ MUNI, THOSE ON THE ONTLE SAY THE IMPACT HAS BEEN VASTATG.JOSEPHE HUETLUPDATED OCT. 01, 2020 5:18PM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 01, 2020 4:38AM EDT BEATA ZAWRZEL/NURPHOTO VIA GETTYTHIS PIECE WAS ORIGALLY PUBLISHED CODA STORY’S DISRMATN CHANNEL.JTYNA SZPANOWSKA WAS CYCLG THROUGH WARSAW MID-AUGT, WHEN SHE HEARD WHAT, AT FIRST, SOUND LIKE A RONAVIS PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT. AS SHE GOT CLOSER TO S SOURCE, SHE REALIZED WAS NOTHG OF THE SORT. FOLLOWG THE SOUND, SHE ME ACROSS A TCK SLOWLY MAKG S WAY DOWN A BY ROAD THE CY CENTER. ITS BACK WAS LED WH SPEAKERS PLAYG A PRERERD MSAGE, WARNG PASSERSBY THAT GAY UPL M PEDOPHILIA AGAST BABI.IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS A BLOGGER WH THE ULTRANSERVATIVE LGBT HATE GROUP “FUNDACJA PRO—PRAWO DO ŻYCIA” (PRO RIGHT TO LIFE FOUNDATN), HOLDG A MERA. SZPANOWSKA, AN ACTIVIST WH THE LEFT-WG RAZEM (LEFT TOGETHER) PARTY, EXPLAED THAT AROUND 100 PEOPLE HAD GATHERED NEAR THE VEHICLE TO EXPRS THEIR OUTRAGE AT S MSAGE. “I’M SURE HE WAS TRYG TO PROVOKE A REACTN OM THE CROWD FOR TAMENT,” SHE SAID. SCE S 2015 ELECTN VICTORY, POLAND’S RIGHT-WG LAW AND JTICE PARTY HAS LEVERAGED PREJUDICE AGAST THE LGBTQ MUNY FOR POLIL GA. IN 2019’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTNS, PRIME MISTER JAROSLAW KACZYNSKI CLAIMED HIS VICTORY WOULD PREVENT “HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAG.” AND, AHEAD OF LAST MONTH’S PRINTIAL POLLS, PRINT ANDRZEJ DUDZA SCRIBED THE NCEPT OF LGBTQ RIGHTS AS “WORSE THAN MUNISM.”ALONG WH HATE-MONGERG AGAST QUEER PEOPLE, THE POLISH ERNMENT HAS EQUENTLY REFERRED TO “GENR IOLOGY,” AN TERNATNAL NSPIRACY THEORY THAT CLAIMS MARXISTS ARE PLOTTG TO STROY WHE NUCLEAR HOEHOLDS BY ERASG DIFFERENC BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. ATTACKG “IMPORTED” SEXUALY AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS WHILE PLEDGG ALLEGIANCE TO THE “PRO TRADNAL FAY” IS WHAT HISTORIAN ANDREA PETO SCRIB AS “A NATNALIST NEONSERVATIVE RPONSE TO THE CRISIS OF THE GLOBAL NEOLIBERAL WORLD ORR.” “IT IS THE MOST AGGRSIVE HOMOPHOBIC MPAIGN I HAVE SEEN MY LIFE.”— KATARZYNA WARECKA THE IMPACT HAS BEEN VASTATG. IN THE PAST YEAR, NEARLY 100 LOL ERNMENTS, REPRENTG A THIRD OF POLAND’S TERRORY, CLARED THEMSELV “LGBT EE ZON.” A 2020 REPORT OM AN AMIC AT NILS COPERNIC UNIVERSY TOń TIMAT THAT THE NUMBER OF QUEER PEOPLE UNR THE AGE OF 25 WHO ATTEMPT SUICI CREASED OM 30 PERCENT 2016 TO 45 PERCENT 2020. KOLODZIEJ FOUND THAT 84 PERCENT OF YOUNG LGBTQ PEOPLE ARE NOW HAVG SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.“I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOG TO HAPPEN,” SAID HELENA CLEYRE, A 29-YEAR-OLD TRANS-ACTIVIST WHO LIV WARSAW. ALMOST EVERY DAY SHE HEARS ABOUT ATTACKS AGAST LGBTQ PEOPLE.“MOSTLY WHAT I AM THKG ABOUT IS IMMIGRATN,” SAID CLEYRE. “I WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE A CIZEN. I DON’T WANT MY NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE PUBLIC TO TREAT ME LIKE I AM NOT A HUMAN BEG.”IN APRIL 2019, THE ULTRANSERVATIVE LGBT HATE GROUP “FUNDACJA PRO — PRAWO DO ŻYCIA” (PRO RIGHT TO LIFE FOUNDATN), DROVE A R AROUND THE CY OF GNIEZNO, A CATHOLIC STRONGHOLD WTERN POLAND, WH A BANNER THAT READ, “WHAT THE LGBT LOBBY WANTS TO TEACH KIDS: MASTURBATN; NSENTG TO SEX; FIRST SEXUAL EXPERIENC AND ASM. STOP PEDOPHILIA.” SCE THEN, THE RS AND VANS HAVE BEE A MON SIGHT BIG CI.“IT IS THE MOST AGGRSIVE HOMOPHOBIC MPAIGN I HAVE SEEN MY LIFE,” SAID KATARZYNA WARECKA, A LAWYER FOR THE LGBTQ GROUP TOLERADO, BASED THE PREDOMANTLY LIBERAL PORT CY OF GDANSK. LAST YEAR, SHE TRIED TO SUE FUNDACJA PRO FOR “SPREADG FALSE AND HOMOPHOBIC NTENT ABOUT THE ALLEGED LK BETWEEN PEDOPHILIA AND HOMOSEXUALY.” HOWEVER, THE URT LED AGAST . SUBSEQUENTLY, NONE OF THE CY’S SCHOOLS, UNCILS AND OTHER PUBLIC STUTNS HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAST THE GROUP.MORE RECENTLY, PEOPLE HAVE STARTED NONTG FUNDACJA PRO’S VANS DIRECTLY ON THE STREET. ON AUGT 8, GENR-NON-BARY LGBTQ ACTIVIST MALGORZATA SZUTOWICZ WAS HELD PRE-TRIAL TENTN FOR THREE WEEKS FOR SLASHG THE TIR OF ONE SUCH VEHICLE. IN THE PROTTS THAT FOLLOWED, THE POLICE ARRTED 48 PEOPLE, CLUDG ONE PASSERBY WHO HAD SIMPLY EXED A NEARBY GROCERY SHOP AND WAS RRYG A SHOPPG BAG. A WEEK AFTER SZUTOWICZ’S ARRT, 27-YEAR-OLD SOFTWARE VELOPER L LEWANDOWSKI SAW A FACEBOOK POST ABOUT A FUNDACJA PRO VAN NEAR HIS WARSAW APARTMENT. HE ARRIVED AT THE SCENE TIME TO TRY AND VER UP THE VAN’S MASSIVE BANNER WH SWIRLS OF ORANGE-LORED GRAFFI. THE CINT WAS FILMED BY MACIEJ ZEMLA, A REPORTER OM THE RIGHT-WG ONLE TV CHANNEL ZEMLA MA A NAME FOR HIMSELF MAY 2019 BY FILMG AN LGBTQ VOLLEYBALL EVENT WHOUT PERMISSN AND G THE FOOTAGE TO GIVE THE FALSE IMPRSN OF A GAY PLOT TO BRG “EROTIC GADGETS” TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS.LEWANDOWSKI IS ONE OF THE 48 PEOPLE WHO WERE ARRTED DURG THE PROTTS AFTER SZUTOWICZ’S ARRT. SCE THEN, HE HAS TO REPORT TO HIS LOL POLICE STATN TWICE A WEEK. HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WH BEG PART OF A PLOT TO VLENTLY ATTACK PROPERTY. THE CHARG ARE “PLETELY BOG”, HE SAID. “MOSTLY WHAT I AM THKG ABOUT IS IMMIGRATN. I WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE A CIZEN. I DON’T WANT MY NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE PUBLIC TO TREAT ME LIKE I AM NOT A HUMAN BEG.” LEWANDOWSKI HAS FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE OF THE WORSENG CLIMATE FOR LGBTQ MUNI POLAND. IN AUGT, HE AND HIS BOYIEND WERE BEATEN UP BY TWO STRANGERS, WHO HAD SEEN THEM WALKG HAND--HAND. DPE THE BLEAK SUATN, HE SE SOME POSSIBILY FOR CHANGE AND PLANS TO N FOR OFFICE POLAND’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTNS THREE YEARS’ TIME.WHILE LIBERAL POLICIANS ED TO CLAIM TO BE “NTRAL” ON QUEER RIGHTS STGGL, LAST MONTH, A GROUP OF POLISH OPPOSN MP’S ME TO PARLIAMENT DRSED THE LORS OF THE RABOW, ORR TO PROTT THE ERNMENT’S OPENLY HATEFUL RHETORIC. “IF THE CURRENT ERNMENT FALLS,” SAID LEWANDOWSKI, “WE WILL PROBABLY GET RIGHTS THAT WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTG FOR.” SPEARHEADG ANTI-LGBTQ MPAIGNMARIZ DZIERZAWSKI, WHO FOUND FUNDACJA PRO 2005, SCRIB HIMSELF AS A CHRISTIAN “SEEKER OF TTH.” HE IS ALSO KNOWN AS POLAND’S “MOST RADIL ANTI-ABORTNIST”, EVEN THOUGH THE UNTRY ALREADY HAS SOME OF THE STRICTT ABORTN LAWS EUROPE. SCE 2015, THE GROUP HAS TURNED S ATTENTN TO CRIMALIZG SEX TN SCHOOLS, WH A HOMOPHOBIC MPAIGN LLED “STOP PAEDOPHILIA.”ON S MPAIGN WEBSE, FUNDACJA PRO SPREADS PSDOSCIENCE AND DISRMATN THAT PURPORTS TO LK LGBTQ PEOPLE AND SEX TN TO PEDOPHILIA.THE GROUP BAS S MANY CLAIMS ON THE REARCH OF TWO U.S. SOCLOGIST MARK REGNES AND PSYCHOLOGIST PL CAMERON, WHOSE DISCREDED WORK IS CED BY A WI VARIETY OF ANTI-LGBTQ GROUPS.MALGORZATA SZUTOWICZ IS A FOUNDG MEMBER OF THE QUEER ACTIVIST GROUP STOP BZDUROM (STOP THE BULLSH). FOUND ONE YEAR AGO, S MEMBERS ANIZED DANCE EVENTS TO BLOCK FUNDACJA PRO’S VANS—WHICH SOME ACTIVISTS LL “HOMOPHOB”—AND RMATN STALLS. MORE RECENTLY, HAS PUT RABOW FLAGS AND ANARCHIST SYMBOLS ON STATU WARSAW, ENRAGG POLAND’S NSERVATIVE ERNMENT. “WE TRY TO SAY THGS LIKE: ‘HI, I AM LGBT, DO I LOOK LIKE I AM STROYG POLAND?’ SOMETIM WORKS.” “WE ARE ONLY THREE, FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE AT TIM,” SZUTOWICZ SAID. “WE WOULD DO OUR ACTNS, POST ABOUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND WA FOR FEEDBACK.”SZUTOWICZ AND HER PARTNER LANIA MAJ STARTED THE GROUP AFTER THEY ME ACROSS A FUNDACJA PRO RMATN STALL, WHERE VOLUNTEERS WERE HANDG OUT LEAFLETS AND LLECTG SIGNATUR TO SUPPORT THEIR “STOP PAEDOPHILIA” LAW.THIS PROPOSED LEGISLATN MANDS JAIL SENTENC FOR ANYONE WHO TEACH SEX TN TO PEOPLE UNR THE AGE OF 18. FUNDACJA PRO’S BILL WAS -DRAFTED BY A LOBBYG GROUP NAMED THE ORDO IURIS INSTUTE FOR LEGAL CULTURE—AN OFFSHOOT OF AN TERNATNAL ULTRA-NSERVATIVE CATHOLIC WORK KNOWN AS TRADN, FAY AND PROPERTY.IN JUNE 2019, HELENA CLEYRE JOED SZUTOWICZ AND MAJ TO PROTT AGAST A FUNDACJA PRO STALL THE CY OF POZNAN. UPON ARRIVAL, THEY WERE STOPPED AND QUTNED BY POLICE OFFICERS.“FOR MANY YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS TO GET BASIC RIGHTS LEGALLY FOR NON-STRAIGHT PEOPLE POLAND BUT THIS HAS FAILED,” SAID CLEYRE. “MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE WHAT THE FUNDACJA PRO TCKS SAY, BEE THE LOL PRIT IS SAYG , THE LOL POLICIAN IS SAYG AND PECIALLY BEE YOU HAVE NO SEXUAL TN SCHOOLS.”AS THE ATTACKS AGAST LGBTQ MUNI HAVE CREASED, ACTIVISTS HAVE FOUND THEMSELV FACG A NEW ONT—THE 100 LOL ERNMENTS WHICH HAVE SIGNED NON-LEGALLY BDG CHARTERS TO CLARE THEMSELV “EE OM LGBT IOLOGY”. IN JULY, THE EUROPEAN UNN ANNOUNCED WOULD NO LONGER PROVI FUNDG TO SIX OF THE “LGBT-EE” POLISH TOWNS. “IT’S REALLY DIFFICULT BEE YOU N WASTE SO MUCH TIME TRYG TO NVCE JT ONE PERSON. WE TRY TO SAY THGS LIKE: ‘HI, I AM LGBT, DO I LOOK LIKE I AM STROYG POLAND?’ SOMETIM WORKS.”— HELENA CLEYRE IN SEPTEMBER 2019, HELENA CLEYRE AND SOME OF HER IENDS H THE ROAD UNR THE LLECTIVE BANNER OF THE QUEER TOUR. THEIR PLAN WAS TO DRIVE TO SO-LLED LGBT-EE ZON, TALK TO LOL PEOPLE AND BUNK THE ERNMENT’S PROPAGANDA. “IT’S REALLY DIFFICULT BEE YOU N WASTE SO MUCH TIME TRYG TO NVCE JT ONE PERSON,” CLEYRE SAID. “WE TRY TO SAY THGS LIKE: ‘HI, I AM LGBT, DO I LOOK LIKE I AM STROYG POLAND?’ SOMETIM WORKS.”ON A RECENT WEEKEND, QUEER TOUR WENT TO THE SOUTH-EASTERN CY OF DEBI. AFTER SETTG UP THEIR STALL, POLICE OFFICERS SURROUND THEM AND MA THEM LEAVE, WHILE THE TOWN’S MAYOR TOLD THEM THEIR ACTNS WERE “ILLEGAL.”QUEER TOUR AND STOP BZDUROM SEND PACKAG OF STICKERS, ICS AND BOOKS TO YOUNG LGBTQ PEOPLE ALL OVER POLAND. THE STICKERS SAY THGS LIKE “I AM NOT AN IOLOGY” OR SHOW FAMO FIGUR, CLUDG J CHRIST, ON A RABOW BACKGROUND. SCE SZUTOWICZ’S ARRT, THE GROUPS’ GO-TO PRT SHOP IS AAID TO PRODUCE MATERIAL FOR THEM. “THEY SENT EMAILS TO SAY THAT THEY SUPPORT WHAT WE DO, BUT HALF OF OUR SIGNS ARE PROBABLY TOO NTROVERSIAL,” SZUTOWICZ SAID, VIA SKYPE.SZUTOWICZ IS STILL FACG MULTIPLE CHARG FOR HANGG RABOW FLAGS ON WARSAW MONUMENTS AND FOR SLASHG THE TIR OF THE FUNDACJA PRO VAN.IN AUGT, STOP BZDUROM RECEIVED $80,000 DONATNS, WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO SMALL LLECTIV ACROSS POLAND. BUT THE POLISH CROWDFUNDG PLATFORM ZRZUTKA REF TO LET THE GROUP WHDRAW THE FUNDS.I RECENTLY SPOKE TO SZUTOWICZ AND HER LIFE PARTNER LU, WHO IS NON-BARY, VIA SKYPE. THEY HAD JT ORRED PIZZA AND WERE GETTG READY TO GO TO A HOE PARTY.SZUTOWICZ EXPLAED THAT STOP BZDUROM HAS BEEN FORCED TO HALT S ACTIVI SCE SHE AND LU HAVE RECENTLY BEEN FOLLOWED BY PLACLOTH POLICE OFFICERS. “BEE OF POLICE VTIGATNS AGAST AND BEG STALKED ALL THE TIME, WE (STOP BZDUROM) ARE NOT ABLE TO MAKE ANY NEW ACTNS RIGHT NOW,” SZUTOWICZ SAID.MEANWHILE, TERNATNAL MPAIGNERS HAVE ASKED THE EU TO PROTECT POLAND’S LGBTQ MUNI. LAST WEEK, ACTIVISTS LIVERED A PETN WH MORE THAN 340,000 SIGNATUR MANDG THE EU FIGHT BACK AGAST HOMOPHOBIC HATE POLAND’S “LGBT-EE” ZON. THE PETN, LNCHED BY THE GLOBAL EQUALY MOVEMENT ALL OUT, URGED THE EU’S MISSNER FOR EQUALY, HELENA DALLO, TO NOUNCE THE DISCRIMATORY POLICI AND PASS LEGISLATN ON HATE CRIM TO PROTECT THE POLISH LGBTQ MUNY.IN A SIGN OF CREASG TERNATNAL NCERN OVER THE TREATMENT OF LGBTQ PEOPLE, 50 AMBASSADORS TO POLAND EARLIER THIS WEEK WROTE AN OPEN LETTER LLG ON WARSAW TO HELP FE “AN ENVIRONMENT OF NON-DISCRIMATN, TOLERANCE AND MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE.” THE SIGNATORI, CLUDG AMBASSADORS OM THE U.S. AND BRA, URGED POLAND TO “END DISCRIMATN, PARTICULAR ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN OR GENR INTY.”LU, WHO HAS RECENTLY STARTED THEIR OWN LLECTIVE TO HANG UP RABOW FLAGS AROUND WARSAW AND THROW PAT OVER HOMOPHOBIC BANNERS PUBLIC, WAS MORE OPTIMISTIC. SHE READ OUT A FACEBOOK MSAGE SHE’D JT RECEIVED OM A STRANGER, WHO’D WRTEN TO SAY, “THANK I SEE THE FLAG, I SEE THAT SOMEONE IS FIGHTG FOR ME.”THE MORNG AFTER WE SPOKE, SZUTOWICZ TEXTED ME TO SAY SHE AND LU HAD BEEN ASSLTED TWICE AFTER THE PARTY. LATER THAT EVENG, SHE TEXTED ME AGA: LU HAD JT BEEN ATTACKED BY A MAN NEAR HIS HOE. “THE MAN HAD KEYS HIS HANDS SO LU HAS BIS AND SWELLG,” SZUTOWICZ WROTE.“THE SUATN IS GETTG WORSE ON MANY ONTS POLAND AND THE PROBLEMS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME,” SHE ADD. “SO IF GETS WORSE, I HAVE THIS STUPID MDSET OF ‘I HAVE TO WORK HARR BEE ’S NOT ENOUGH.’ BUT MANY OF MY IENDS AND I ARE A SUATN WHERE YOU PHYSILLY NNOT DO ANYTHG MORE.” JOSEPHE HUETL

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. "We will not allow the legalisatn of homosexual relatnships and their adoptn of children our untry. Policians' hostily to gay rights has bee a flashpot, ptg the relig right agast more liberal-md Pol.

And gay people livg the areas are faced wh a choice: emigrate, keep their heads down - or fight back. It crimalised homosexualy 1932, s before most European untri.

But he is agast what he scrib as "aggrsive iology promotg homosexualy". 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.

And that's what the gays are tryg to do. " 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 . " Gay people Tuchow, he adds, n only live peace by stayg "visible". "At this pot, her hband Kazimierz terpts to tell that homosexualy is a sickns that n be treated.