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.
Contents:
- MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
- I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN
- JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
Dozens of Polish towns have clared themselv ee of "LGBT iology". It means difficult choic for gay people livg them. * poland gay zones *
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.
I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN
Poland's right-wg populist lear Andrzej Duda me to power last year on a platform cryg a ‘LGBT-iology’ he alleged was spreadg throughout his untry at the expense of tradnal fay valu. Now, dozens of Polish municipali have enacted "LGBT iology ee zon" makg members of the gay muny this European Unn member state fear for their safety. Simon Ostrovsky reports om Poland wh support om the Pulzer Center. * poland gay zones *
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.
JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
* poland gay zones *
" 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. "It is not as if you're done for and you're a homosexual for the rt of your life. "Homosexual unns do not guarantee the growth of our fatherland, " she tells me.
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.
‘In gay years, you’re rather past your sell-by date, aren’t you?’ the person ont of me said, raisg an eyebrow. * poland gay zones *
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.
They say there's no longer any pot mpaigng peacefully agast homophobia. 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. " You may also be terted "gay nversn therapy" may be nmned by experts but is still permted the UK.
The untry has been ranked as the worst place the European Unn to be gay or trans. * poland gay zones *
So what happened when gay podst host Jam Barr signed up for simulated "treatment"? 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.
She is gay, and gay people are not wele Kozy.
But the impact is felt most pafully — and daily — by the gay, lbian and transgenr Pol who live towns that would prefer they simply weren’t there. Parts of s particularly nservative, ral regns to the southeast have never embraced LGBT people; but now, homophobic rhetoric is uttered by the state and preached church, and hostily on the streets is boilg over. When a massive EU study earlier this year found that LGBT+ people on the ntent generally feel safer than they did five years ago, Poland was the glarg exceptn; two-thirds of gay, lbian and transgenr Pol said tolerance and acts of vlence agast them had creased, while four five said they avoid certa plac for fear of beg asslted — the hight rate Europe.
Kev Maxen, an associate strength ach wh the Jacksonville Jaguars, has bee the first male ach a major U.S.-based profsnal league to e out as gay. * poland gay zones *
“I’ll never tell them (that I’m gay), ” she says. Homophobia exists not jt on many of Poland’s streets, but the closed-door uncil meetgs where the eedom of LGBT people is bated; and where a visceral, ep-rooted and alarmgly sual sentiment is laid bare. In Swidnik, a small town near the Ukraian borr, uncilors pated gays and lbians as “radil people strivg for a cultural revolutn, ” accg them of wishg to “attack eedom of speech (and) the nocence of children.
” In Nowa Sarzyna, another eastern town, homosexualy was labelled “ntrary to the laws of nature” and a vlatn of “human digny. In the past year, he has e out, attend his first Pri para, and suffered his first experience wh homophobia. The pontiff was born jt a few towns to the east, and is revered for givg Pol hope durg the era of martial law — but his stnch opposn to homosexualy wined the chasm between many LGBT people and the church.
“I have one iend who was kicked out of his home bee he was gay. They brought a big speaker that plays long homophobic monologu nouncg the LGBT muny as “viant” and “dangero. But sce s “LGBT-ee” stat was emed unnstutnal and annulled by a lol urt July, the dozy town has been thst to the heart of Poland’s battle over gay rights.
Poland's "LGBT-ee zon" - nearly 100 regns, towns and ci that have passed anti-gay rolutns - uld enurage hate crime and spur vlence, acrdg to a European human rights body. * poland gay zones *
Homophobic legislatn and rolutns have forced many Pol to make a choice: leave town or stay quiet. " 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.