[1/8] People take selfies on the day of an annual LGBT equality parade in Warsaw, Poland, June 17, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
WARSAW, June 17 (Reuters) – Tens of thousands marched through the streets of Warsaw on Saturday to demand equality for LGBTQ people as the community scrutinizes upcoming Polish elections in which gay rights could feature prominently.
The country’s ruling conservative nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party has focused on countering what it calls “LGBT ideology” in previous campaigns. With an October or November election looking tight, activists expect PiS to use issues like same-sex marriage or teaching LGBTQ issues in schools to mobilize socially conservative voters.
“I am almost 100% sure it will happen again this year,” said Alicja Herda, one of the organizers of the Equality March in Warsaw. “But I’m not too worried because we are a very strong community and it won’t be easy to stop doing our prides because it’s okay to be who we are.”
PiS says extending marriage and adoption to gay couples threatens traditional family structures and harms children. It also says that teaching LGBTQ issues in schools results in children being sexualized.
“Children should not be subjected to practices that are definitely harmful to them and can lead to psychological changes that will negatively affect them in adult life,” PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in May.
That view, which regularly appears in the state media, strikes a chord with many voters in the predominantly Catholic country. However, critics say the government is trying to win votes by fomenting prejudice against a minority that is already widely discriminated against.
“We know that PiS can use any argument at the moment… That’s why we want to show that today diversity, minority rights means a Europe that is open, Europe that is tolerant. That’s how Warsaw is and I believe this is what Poland looks like will see,” Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said at a press conference ahead of the march.
Krzysztof Gora, 24, traveled to Warsaw from London with his friend to attend the march.
“We want to celebrate, but also fight for more rights [for the LGBTQ community] in Poland,” Gora told Reuters. “I think parties like PiS are using us as a scapegoat in a sense. They show that we are monsters, that we are not really human.”
As thousands celebrated to the tune of music, a group of anti-LGBTQ activists from the Foundation for Life and Family burned rainbow flags, the symbol of the LGBTQ community.
But not everyone complained about hatred and discrimination. Sabrina, 45, a march participant who works in international trade, has recently begun the process of gender reassignment.
“Even when I dress as a woman, which is more common these days, I don’t experience any discrimination,” she told Reuters. “But I suppose a lot of people might have a problem with that. Especially outside Warsaw. We have more space in Warsaw.”
Reporting by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska, Alan Charlish and Kuba Stezyki; Edited by Nick Macfie and Mike Harrison