Poland’s education minster Przemyslaw Czarnek has criticised people who attend marches for LGBTQ+ equality, calling them an “insult to public morality”.
On Sunday (19 June), thousands marched in Polish capital Warsaw to fight against LGBTQ+ discrimination and prejudice. Led by major Rafal Trzaskowski, the Equality Parade was filled with marchers and rainbow flags in protest of rising homophobia in the country.
Speaking on state-run news channel TVP Info, Czarnek remarked: “You’ve seen the pictures of the so-called Equality Parade, and that has nothing to do with equality. You saw people dressed bizarrely, a man dressed like a woman, are they normal people in your opinion?”
Later, he clarified his comments, saying he was criticising their behaviour and not the marchers themselves. Czarnek continued to hit out at LGBTQ+ progress, however, as he rejected the idea that “inclusive” language should be implemented in schools.
“In Polish schools, the Polish language is obligatory, not any language of inclusiveness,” he said. “In Polish… satisfying sexual desire in a way different from the accepted norm is called perversion and deviation.”
Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bak, a lawmaker from the Left grouping, condemned his remarks, saying: “The only language you know is the language of hate. Language that leads to students, who you should be looking out for, killing themselves, self-harming.”
In recent years, the Polish government has targeted sexual minorities and supported organisations that spread homophobia.
The infamous “LGBT-free” zones came to fruition after the country’s ruling Law and Justice Party inspired several towns in Poland to be free from “LGBT ideology” – putting vulnerable LGBTQ+ citizens at risk of discrimination, prejudice and violence.
Fifty countries from around the world subsequently signed an open letter in protest, calling for Poland to “protect all citizens from violence and discrimination and to ensure they enjoy equal opportunities.”
“To this end, and in particular to shield communities in need of protection from verbal and physical abuse and hate speech, we need to jointly work on an environment of non-discrimination, tolerance and mutual acceptance,” it reads.
“This includes in particular sectors such as education, health, social affairs, citizenship, public service and public documents.
“We pay tribute to the hard work of LGBTI and other communities in Poland and around the world, as well as the work of all those who seek to ensure human rights for LGBTI and other persons belonging to communities facing similar challenges, and to end discrimination in particular on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The letter ends by stating that “human rights are universal and everyone, including LGBTI persons, are entitled to their full enjoyment,” and that this is “something that everyone should support.”
The post Poland’s education minister calls LGBTQ+ march an “insult to public morality” appeared first on GAY TIMES.
Poland’s education minister calls LGBTQ+ march an “insult to public morality”
Poland’s education minster Przemyslaw Czarnek has criticised people who attend marches for LGBTQ+ equality, calling them an “insult to public morality”.
On Sunday (19 June), thousands marched in Polish capital Warsaw to fight against LGBTQ+ discrimination and prejudice. Led by major Rafal Trzaskowski, the Equality Parade was filled with marchers and rainbow flags in protest of rising homophobia in the country.
Speaking on state-run news channel TVP Info, Czarnek remarked: “You’ve seen the pictures of the so-called Equality Parade, and that has nothing to do with equality. You saw people dressed bizarrely, a man dressed like a woman, are they normal people in your opinion?”
Later, he clarified his comments, saying he was criticising their behaviour and not the marchers themselves. Czarnek continued to hit out at LGBTQ+ progress, however, as he rejected the idea that “inclusive” language should be implemented in schools.
“In Polish schools, the Polish language is obligatory, not any language of inclusiveness,” he said. “In Polish… satisfying sexual desire in a way different from the accepted norm is called perversion and deviation.”
Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bak, a lawmaker from the Left grouping, condemned his remarks, saying: “The only language you know is the language of hate. Language that leads to students, who you should be looking out for, killing themselves, self-harming.”
In recent years, the Polish government has targeted sexual minorities and supported organisations that spread homophobia.
The infamous “LGBT-free” zones came to fruition after the country’s ruling Law and Justice Party inspired several towns in Poland to be free from “LGBT ideology” – putting vulnerable LGBTQ+ citizens at risk of discrimination, prejudice and violence.
Fifty countries from around the world subsequently signed an open letter in protest, calling for Poland to “protect all citizens from violence and discrimination and to ensure they enjoy equal opportunities.”
“To this end, and in particular to shield communities in need of protection from verbal and physical abuse and hate speech, we need to jointly work on an environment of non-discrimination, tolerance and mutual acceptance,” it reads.
“This includes in particular sectors such as education, health, social affairs, citizenship, public service and public documents.
“We pay tribute to the hard work of LGBTI and other communities in Poland and around the world, as well as the work of all those who seek to ensure human rights for LGBTI and other persons belonging to communities facing similar challenges, and to end discrimination in particular on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The letter ends by stating that “human rights are universal and everyone, including LGBTI persons, are entitled to their full enjoyment,” and that this is “something that everyone should support.”
The post Poland’s education minister calls LGBTQ+ march an “insult to public morality” appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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