Polish president Andrzej Duda considering ‘gay propaganda’ ban
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The president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, has said that he he would “seriously” consider a law banning “homosexual propaganda” in schools and scouting organisations.
Duda made the remarks in an interview in the Polish language newspaper, Nasz Dziennik.
“I think that this kind of propaganda should not take place in schools, it has to be calmly and consistently opposed,” he said.
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“If such a law was created and would be well written, I do not exclude that I would approach it seriously.”
If such a law were put forward for consideration, it would likely be similar to the one that is currently in place in Russia, which bans “gay propaganda.”
The Russian law’s stated purpose is to protect children from being exposed to “homonormativity” as it contradicts “traditional family values.”
Rainbow Friday
The conversation about a “gay propaganda” law in Poland has been reignited after a number of schools were set to host an event called “Rainbow Friday” last month.
Rainbow Friday was set up to promote LGBT+ acceptance in schools, however most schools cancelled their plans after Poland’s government warned them that they were not permitted to proceed.
At the time, the education minister, Anna Zalewska, warned that school principals who allowed Rainbow Friday to go ahead would “face consequences.”
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The debate was also exacerbated after the Polish Scouting Association released a statement saying they supported the LGBT+ community.
Poland is a Catholic country and many people continue to have strongly anti-LGBT+ attitudes. A 2014 poll found that 70 percent of Poles felt that same-sex sexual activity was “morally unacceptable.”
Poland is ranked 38th among 49 European countries when it comes to LGBT+ rights, according to rights group ILGA-Europe’s annual Rainbow Europe index.
Brutal Attack
Earlier this year, 39-year-old British national James Pickering, and his 25-year-old Polish-German boyfriend Joseph Czarny were victims of a brutal attack while visiting the country.
The couple told PinkNews that they were subjected to a homophobic attack by two men shouting “faggots” and “gay c***s” on a busy beach in Gdańsk on the country’s north coast—while onlookers stood by and did nothing.
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After being abused on the beach, they left, only for the perpetrators to follow them.
“We went to the exit of the beach, and they attacked us from behind,” Pickering said. “I was punched twice in the back of the head and it was so hard that I fell into a fence.
“My partner Joseph was then punched in his face and fell over as well, breaking his phone on the floor.”
In July, the Minister for Internal Affairs Joachim Brudziński told the police to prosecute LGBT+ people, accusing them of “desecrating” the Polish coat of arms by featuring it on a Pride flag during a march.
