Dear friends,
We're under attack in Poland.
Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, calls us a "threat to Polish identity, to our nation." His party colleague Elżbieta Kruk even said: "I think that Poland will be a region free from LGBT."
But Poland is our home, too.
We will not back down and let politicians scapegoat us by turning us into a fake "public enemy." We saw under the Nazis and Soviets where this can lead. Hatespeech can very quickly turn into hate crimes.
Friends, we are determined to defend ourselves, but we could really use your support.
Poland relies heavily on funding and investment from the European Union. If EU leaders condemn the attacks on our community, the government will have to act.
Over the last few weeks,
- around 30 Polish municipalities have declared themselves "LGBT-free zones";
- a newspaper distributed stickers with the same inflammatory slogan and a crossed-out Pride flag;
- participants at a Pride march in the city of Białystok were attacked with stones and bottles by nationalist hooligans and far-right groups;
- and now, anti-LGBT+ groups are calling on Facebook to block another Pride march in the city of Płock this coming Saturday.
With all the bad news, it's easy to forget that there are positive developments, too: This year, 23 Pride marches have been registered across Poland – more than ever before. And recent opinion polls have shown that a majority of Poles now support civil unions for same-sex couples.
While many Polish people are starting to open their hearts and minds, politicians are declaring us "enemies of the state" to support their agendas.
Thanks for going All Out,
Justyna Nakielska,
Kampania Przeciw Homofobii – KPH (Campaign Against Homophobia)
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