Many fear Poland may be going the way of Putin’s Russia, which banned ‘homosexual propaganda’ in 2013
Polish President Andrzej Duda has said he would support a ban of ‘homosexual propaganda.’
What happened?
In a 10 November interview with journalist Nasz Dziennik, Duda said, ‘I think that this kind of propaganda should not take place in schools, it has to be calmly and consistently opposed.’
‘If such a law was created and would be well written, I do not exclude that I would approach it seriously.’
Background
The ‘propaganda’ Duda is referring to includes two recent events that took place in Poland.
The first is Rainbow Friday, which took place on 26 October. Despite the government ban on the event, students showed up to school dressed in rainbows to bring awareness to LGBTI rights in Poland.
The second is a conflict with the Polish Scouting Association. The Association is a co-ed scouting program open to young people across the country. Back in May, the Association stated its support of the LGBTI community.
‘Dignity and human value are not dependent on his sexual orientation, as scouts we have a duty to respect persons who are homosexual or bisexual. And such people are also involved in the scout movement,’ their statement said. ‘We should oppose hatred and contempt for them, because our task is to see our neighbor in everybody.’
For Duda, this statement opposes his Catholic values.
Is Poland going the way of Russia?
Many fear that Poland is on its way to becoming like Putin’s Russia, where spreading positive messages about the LGBTI community is punishable by a fine or even imprisonment. Putin imposed this law in 2013.
Back in August, the first Russian minor was charged with spreading ‘gay propaganda’. Though the court ultimately found him innocent, LGBTI activists in Russia are still a target for government officials.
by Rafaella Gunz
Source – Gay Star News