ABOVE: Activists with Poland’s Campaign Against Homophobia. Photo courtesy the org’s Facebook page.
POLAND | Three governing councils of voivodeships (provinces) in Southeastern Poland have reversed anti-LGBTQ policies enacted over the past two years that declared those areas to be ‘LGBTQ+ Free Zones.’
Last week the Sejmik Województwa Świętokrzyskiego, voted in a special emergency session to revoke an LGBTQ resolution that it had passed in 2019. The regional governments have backed off their policies after the executive branch of the European Union, the European Commission, sent letters out in late August to the governors of the five warning that pandemic relief funds totaling over 126 million euros ($150 million) will be withheld over those anti-LGBTQ measures.
The state-run media outlet Polska Agencja Prasowa, (Polish Press Agency) reported that on Sept. 27, the Subcarpathian Regional Assembly, (Sejmik Województwa Podkarpackiego) the unicameral for the Podkarpackie region voted to repeal its resolution along with Lubelskie, Województwo unicameral also rescinding its anti-LGBTQ policies.
Polish LGBTQ activist Bart Staszewski noted in a series of tweets that the final push to get rid of the anti-LGBTQ+ policies was directly attributable to the EU commission. But he also made note that there was still active resistance and opposition.
Today next 🇵🇱provinces withrawed their anti-LGBT acts. Solidarity among queer people, hard work of activists made enough pressure on politicians with a tramandous help of @EU_Commission. We are on a clear path to withdraw all LGBT-free zones, and I can promise we will make it!✌️
— Bart Staszewski 🏳️🌈🇵🇱 (@BartStaszewski) September 27, 2021
In one instance (below) he tweeted; ‘Meanwhile, councilor Kotula, in a venomous speech, defends the anti-LGBT resolution on “gibberish of leftist correctness, sexual orientation and reproductive rights and rape of cows”.
Tymczasem radny Kotula w jadowitym wystąpieniu broni uchwały anty-LGBT o “bełkocie lewackiej poprawności, orientacji seksualnej i praw reprodukcyjnych i gwałceniu krów”. pic.twitter.com/fiD6DbppkM
— Bart Staszewski 🏳️🌈🇵🇱 (@BartStaszewski) September 27, 2021
The EU Commission, which is chiefly responsible for proposing legislation, enforcing EU laws and directing EU administrative operations, notified the governors and the government of Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki that the coronavirus response investment initiative (CRII) funds from the Recovery assistance for cohesion and the territories of Europe (REACT-EU), would be rescinded over the so-called ‘LGBTQ Free Zones’ established in the five provinces.
Poland has seen a resurgence in the past three years of right-wing religious ultra-conservative groups backed by nationalistic extremists in this heavily Catholic country of 38 million, which have led to passage of measures to restrict pride parades and other LGBTQ+-friendly events from taking place.
In the resolution passed in 2019 by the regional assembly of Sejmik Województwa Świętokrzyskiego, part of the language included “opposition to the attempts to introduce LGBT ideology to local government communities and the promotion of this ideology in public life.”
The resolution also noted; “deep disapproval and strong opposition to the attempts by liberal political and social circles to promote an ideology based on LGBT affirmation, which are in clear contradiction to the cultural heritage and centuries-old Christian traditions not only of the Swietokrzyski region but also of Poland and Europe.”
The Associated Press reported that Swietokrzyskie is the first area of Poland to rescind such a measure after becoming colloquially known as an “LGBT-free zone.” Its move came after the country’s government asked authorities in several regions to revoke their largely symbolic anti-LGBT resolutions.
Although several Polish courts have weighed in ruling the measures unconstitutional, little actions have been taken to mitigate them.
In July of 2020, the anti-LGBTQ president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, won re-election. Activists have sharply criticized Duda — head of Poland’s conservative Law and Justice party — over his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
Duda in June of last year said LGBTQ “ideology” is more harmful than communism.
Justyna Nakielska of Kampania Przeciw Homofobii, a Polish LGBTQ advocacy group, told the Blade’s International Editor Michael Lavers that Duda has publicly described LGBTQ Poles as “a threat to the family” and said they “want to sexualize children.”
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