Meet Szymon Niemiec, the Gay Prit Leadg Poland’s Fight for LGBTQ Rights for the Past 20 Years - The WOW Report

Contents:

• POLISH PRIT WH VATIN TI SACKED AFTER REVEALG HE IS GAY
• POLISH CHURCH SPENDS PRIT WHO IS GAY AND HAS BOYIEND
• VATIN FIR POLISH PRIT AFTER HE COM OUT AS GAY TO REPORTERS
• EX-VATIN OFFICIAL KRZYSZTOF CHARAMSA: 'I'M A GAY MAN. I'M NOT A MONSTER'
• POLAND FENDS CATHOLIC PRIT WHO ATTACKED GAY CLERGY
• POLISH MOVIE ABOUT GAY CATHOLIC PRIT STIRRG CONTROVERSY
• MEET SZYMON NIEMIEC, THE GAY PRIT LEADG POLAND’S FIGHT FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS
• NEW POLISH FILM EXAM THE LIFE OF A GAY CATHOLIC PRIT

POLISH PRIT WH VATIN TI SACKED AFTER REVEALG HE IS GAY

But this year’s events are takg place at a time when homophobia is on the rise Poland, fueled by hateful ments om the ernment and Roman Catholic Church (RCC) lears. Acrdg to a 2020 survey by ILGA-Europe, a Bssels-based advocy group, Poland ranks as the most homophobic untry of the E.

Those who bully LGBTQ people are embolned by homophobic policians, ” says Bart Staszewski, a Polish director and LGBTQ rights activist. His edor chief sent him to report on what Niemiec lls one of the first gay monstratns the cy.

The spontaneo cisn was both his g out as gay and first act of LGBTQ activism. Later, he began trag as a psychologist while workg as a cultural ambassador of Poland to the Internatnal Lbian and Gay Culture Network, a post he held om 2000 to 2006.

POLISH CHURCH SPENDS PRIT WHO IS GAY AND HAS BOYIEND

The Network aims to brg together groups and dividuals around the world to end homophobia through culture. Some prits have outed the name of a gay person om the pulp and scribed them as a danger to the muny, ” says Niemiec. The Fah and Rabow Foundatn has been tryg to hold parish and prits to acunt over public homophobic statements.

VATIN FIR POLISH PRIT AFTER HE COM OUT AS GAY TO REPORTERS

‘I am now an openly gay Catholic and I stand wh my head high’ The most important aspect of the group’s work, says Pawlik, is lol meetgs for LGBTQ Christians, many of whom “are difficult suatns and eply the closet.

EX-VATIN OFFICIAL KRZYSZTOF CHARAMSA: 'I'M A GAY MAN. I'M NOT A MONSTER'

” It tght him “what the bible really wr about LGBT people and how to terpret , ” he says, “I am now an openly gay Catholic and I stand wh my head high.

The activist says there is also a need Poland for clergy-n pastoral re specifilly for LGBTQ Catholics as an alternative to the pastoral iativ sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church, which, acrdg to her, plac an emphasis on “curg” people om homosexualy. A Polish prit who has worked for the Vatin for more than a has been sacked after he revealed he was gay and had a Krzysztof Charamsa, 43, who held a post the Vatin’s branch for protectg Catholic dogma, urged the Catholic church to change s “backwards” attu to disclosed two separate terviews wh an Italian newspaper and a Polish news programme that he had a Spanish male announcement on Saturday me on the eve of a major synod of bishops on the fay, which will addrs a range of subjects cludg prit and his partner later posed for photographs at a prs nference held a rtrant Rome. “It’s time for the church to open s ey about gay Catholics and to unrstand that the solutn propos to them – total abstence om a life of love – is human, ” he told the Italian daily Corriere lla Sera, sayg he wanted to challenge the Church’s ‘paranoia’.

POLAND FENDS CATHOLIC PRIT WHO ATTACKED GAY CLERGY

”The prit, had held a post at the ngregatn of the doctre of the fah sce 2003 and tght theology at pontifil universi Rome, posts om which he has also been Vatin said the dismissal had nothg to do wh Charamsa’s reflectns on his personal life, which said “mer rpect” said his terviews and the planned monstratn was “grave and irrponsible” given their timg on the eve of a synod of bishops who will discs fay issu, cludg the church’s posn on gay Vatin said his actns were aimed at subjectg the synod, which Pope Francis opens on Sunday, to “undue media prsure” Pope prid at prayer vigil for the synod on Saturday night before tens of thoands of people St Peter’s the news nference, Charamsa said he wanted to make “an enormo noise for the good of the church” and apply “good Christian prsure” on the synod not to fet homosexual believers.

“This cisn of me to e out was a very personal one taken a Catholic church that is homophobic and very difficult and harsh [towards gay people], ” he said. Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Mistry, which misters to Catholic gay people, said the Vatin’s move was “sadly disappotg”. “It is unfortunate that church lears did not see Charamsa’s announcement as an opportuny for further dialogue wh someone they have known and tsted, ” DeBarnardo the news nference, Charamsa suggted that a study be ma of how many homosexuals work the Vatin.

POLISH MOVIE ABOUT GAY CATHOLIC PRIT STIRRG CONTROVERSY

“I ask the pope to be strong and to remember , homosexuals, lbians, transsexuals and bisexuals as children of the church and members of humany, ” Charamsa issue of homosexualy forms only a ty part of the synod’s agenda, but has domated the n-up to the three-week meetg and bee a lightng rod for a broar bate between reformists and nservativ the church. WARSAW -- A Polish prit who lost his job at the Vatin earlier this month after revealg that he is gay and has a boyiend was fely spend Wednday by the church Poland om performg the functns of a Krzysztof Charamsa, 43, me out as gay and cricized the Vatin for s approach to homosexualy on the eve of a major meetg of world bishops Rome. Vatin dismiss gay prit.

Krzysztof Charamsa, the former Vatin official who was sacked and ocked after publicly announcg he was gay, breaks out to a wi gr when he is asked whether he has plans to marry his boyiend. For me, [marriage] is part of the dynamic of love and I thank God that I live a century where ’s possible, thanks to the homosexual movement and thanks to many homosexual martyrs. ”It has been ls than a month sce the Polish 43-year-old, a former senr Vatin ai and monsignor, announced at a prs nference that he was gay and love as his Catalan boyiend, Eduard, stood by his si.

MEET SZYMON NIEMIEC, THE GAY PRIT LEADG POLAND’S FIGHT FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS

The admissn, a day before the start of a ntent meetg of bishops Rome to bate the church’s approach to morn “fay issu”, cludg homosexualy, rulted him gettg immediately Vatin lled the timg of the announcement “very ser and irrponsible” and said was clear he uld no longer work as a senr ai for the Congregatn for the Doctre of the Fah, the office wh the Vatin tasked wh fendg Catholic Charamsa’s hope was to force the church to take bold actn on s approach to gay and lbian people, then the attempt was unsuccsful.

NEW POLISH FILM EXAM THE LIFE OF A GAY CATHOLIC PRIT

At the ncln of the synod this weekend, bishops rtated the church’s posn agast discrimatn agast gay people but also clared that there was no foundatn for same-sex marriage. Photograph: Alsandra Taranto/APSpeakg to the Guardian om Barcelona, Charamsa discs his own journey to the moment when he ma the life-alterg cisn to reveal his sexualy, spe the fact that he was part of a church that believ gay sex is a s and that homosexualy is a “tenncy”.

“I was sure [I was gay] all my life. But at the same time, there are homophobic actns and mentaly.