A third of Poland has been officially declared "LGBT-free"
4 March 2020, 14:13
As of February, almost 100 Polish local governments have declared that they're "free from LGBT ideology".
A third of Poland has officially formed "LGBT-free" zones. In a move lightyears backwards, local governments in "LGBT-free" areas will no longer be allowed to encourage tolerance. They also will not be able to give money to organisations promoting equal rights.
In February 2019, Warsaw's liberal mayor Rafał Trzaskowski signed a declaration supporting LGBTQ+ rights and announced plans to integrate LGBTQ+ issues into the sex education curriculum in Warsaw schools.
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However, far-right ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) objected to the plans, arguing that it would sexualise children. PiS party leader Jarosław Kaczyński, known for being openly homophobic, then rolled out the LGBT-free zone ideology in reaction to the Warsaw declaration. By August 2019, around 30 different LGBT ideology-free zones had been established in Poland and the number has continued to rise.
This should be BLASTED as a travel advisory to those looking to tour WWII memorials: Anti-LGBT laws have been enacted in areas where former concentration camps are located.
— Bonhomme Witchtastic (@BonnotRouler) February 27, 2020
The most notable? Auschwitz.
Let that sink in.https://t.co/DAmwDhLrGR
The European Parliament have strongly condemned the move and said they are discriminatory, and undermine LGBTQ+ rights. Meanwhile, the French town of Saint-Jean-de-Braye broke its partnership with its sister city of Tuchów in Poland (which doesn't recognise any form of same-sex union) after it became an LGBT-free zone.
Activists have now created an "Atlas of Hate" map to show just how far the new LGBTQ+ zones extend – and it covers an area bigger than Hungary.
That's not all the government has proposed in an attempt to rid the country of LGBTQ+ people, though. For two years, conservative politicians have continued to push a ban on pride parades in Poland, citing that they pose a threat to public security. In Poland, pride parades often erupt into violence. Last month, a married couple were sentenced to only one year in prison for bringing three homemade explosive devices to a parade in Lubin, Poland.