Ograniczać: the politics behind an anti LGBTQ+ Poland
Ograniczać: the politics behind an anti LGBTQ+ Poland.
A closer look into the seemingly popular anti LGBTQ+ attitude held by Poland.
In a world where there are still countries that serve the death penalty for homosexuality, Europe as a whole does appear to adopt more tolerant values in comparison. However, the continent has its problematic elements, with Poland falling behind in the race to become progressive.
In Poland, the upcoming presidential election has given rise to a seemingly anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric as certain candidates try to gain votes. The current president, Andrzej Duda, is running for re-election. As part of his campaign, Duda has pledged to ‘protect children from LGBT ideology,’ [1] which sets him far apart from his opponent Rafał Trzaskowski, who has proved himself to be an active ally for the LGBTQ+ community. His progressive ideals are evident through the introduction of LGBTQ+ education in the schools of Warsaw, where he is currently mayor, and also his participation in Warsaw’s own Parada Równości (equality parade.) [2] The rights of LGBTQ+ individuals appear to have emerged as a key theme in the campaigns of each candidate and it has been obvious that there are strict differences in the beliefs held by the two campaign frontrunners. On Saturday 13th June 2020, Duda, who is currently predicted to keep his seat as president, claimed that the LGBT ‘ideology’ is ‘worse than communism’. He goes further in saying that his parents’ generation did not ‘struggle to cast off communism’ for the current generation to accept a new ideology which he believes is ‘even more destructive’. [3] His view is adopted by multiple other conservative politicians in Poland, with one even claiming that LGBTQ+ individuals are not people, they are simply an ‘ideology.’ Across the country, the anti-LGBTQ+ behaviours exercised by the government and other individuals has had a clear impact on the LGBTQ+ community. In a 2018 study conducted by the University of Warsaw it was found that more than 67% of people identifying as LGBTI in Poland had endured some type of violence and 70% of teenagers identifying as LGBTI had experienced suicidal thoughts. [4] The issue spans further than the attitudes practised by the government of Poland. In the city of Białystok, a recent 2019 Parada Równości was met by anti-LGBTQ+ protestors who bellowed insults and attacked participants while they were parading for their rights. [5]
When looking at Poland, it is easy to believe that LGBTQ+ individuals share the same rights as heterosexual people. In Poland, despite the current pledges by Andrzej Duda’s to change this, LGBTQ+ individuals are allowed to serve in the Polish Armed Forces, transgender individuals are allowed to change their legal gender if they follow certain requirements and Polish law has ruled against the overt discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. However, the problem is deeper than it appears to be on surface level. Poland is one of six European countries to have made same-sex marriage illegal. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that it is illegal to deny services on the basis of sexual orientation. Although, shortly after the court ruled this illegal, Poland did rule against this, in favour of a printer that was convicted over refusing to print LGBT posters, as ‘workers have a right to act according to their conscience.’ [6] Additionally, Polish municipalities across an area larger than the size of Hungary have been unofficially declared as LGBT free zones, with almost 100 local governments voting to protect solely heterosexual rights. [7] After campaigns to ensure that the nuclear family is the only family promoted as appropriate, homophobic stickers and print-outs have been displayed around certain areas of Poland, other inhabitants have argued that these zones promote intolerance. Activists have described these zones as being part of an ‘Atlas of Hate’, and some, like Bart Staszewski, have taken it upon themselves to try and replace the homophobic print-outs with posters encouraging tolerance. This positive activism has been successful in part. The European Commission, for example, have described the LGBTQ+ free zones as breaches of human rights. [8]
However, is it wrong to say that Polish people do not have the right to argue against LGBTQ+ individuals? Poland is a country that does not promote secularism, with Catholicism being its official religion. Many people campaigning against the ‘LGBT ideology’ are arguing that the promotion of LGBT propaganda is against the Catholic values of the country. The archbishop of Kraków has even expressed the idea that we are experiencing a ‘rainbow plague.’ Matuesz Marzoch, a member of a conservative, religious group in Poland, has described the LGBTQ+ zones in Poland as a ‘good step forward in fighting against LGBT ideology.’ He describes that the next step should be banning LGBT propaganda as ‘it is not okay, it is not how we were created’ according to ‘faith, nature and traditions.’ [9] When looking at the religion of Poland, we can assume that it does indeed influence the conservative views held by a large portion of the population. Although, it could be argued that the ‘religious yet intolerant’ attitude held by some members of the Polish community is highly paradoxical.
In a religion that promotes love and acceptance, is it acceptable to hold hatred for people due to their identity?
Glossary:
- LGBTQ+ - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer +
- LGBTI - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex
- LGBT - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1.https://www.euronews.com/2020/06/13/polish-president-says-lgbt-ideology-is-worse-than-communism
3. https://www.euronews.com/2020/06/13/polish-president-says-lgbt-ideology-is-worse-than-communism
4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/25/anti-lgbt-rhetoric-stokes-tensions-in-eastern-europe
7. https://balkaninsight.com/2020/02/25/a-third-of-poland-declared-lgbt-free-zone/
8. https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/videos/life-inside-polands-gay-free-zones/1116248685395365/
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