Following a highly misleading news segment by left-wing American news network CNN, the Polish Embassy in Washington D.C. published a letter rejecting the claims made in the report.
The topic of CNN’s new segment had to do with alleged “LGBT-free zones” and supposed persecution of LGBT people in Poland.
The following is a response to a @CNN article published on October 15, 2020, titled, “‘You don’t belong here’: In Poland’s ‘LGBT-free zones,’ existing is an act of defiance.” pic.twitter.com/knHV5PFsIr
— Embassy of Poland U.S. (@PolishEmbassyUS) October 19, 2020
Polish diplomats stressed in the letter that LGBT people have guaranteed rights in Poland and explained that the “LGBT-free zone” signs in certain municipalities were not put there by any authorities but instead installed by an LGBT activist.
“Polish legislation guarantees equality and dignity to LGBT persons in all areas of life, and is fully in agreeance with international standards on the protection of human rights,” the document reads. The letter also shares example of anti-discrimination laws contained within the Polish constitution.
The embassy explained that the resolutions accepted by the municipalities which are supposedly “LGBT-free zones” are instead declarations which represent their voices in broader discussion of gender and sexuality, as well as an expression of freedom of speech.
The Polish diplomats also referred to the action carried out by LGBT activist Bartosz Staszewski, who was involved with putting up fake “LGBT-free zone” signs. The letter explains that the signs were installed as part of a social commentary by LGBT activists which has misled people into believing they were put up the local governments. Staszewski is currently being sued by Polish municipalities for libel.
The embassy concludes its letter by underlining that the Polish government is open to dialogue with the LGBT community.
CNN reports on LGBT in Poland
On Oct. 15, 2020, CNN published a report titled: “You don’t belong here”. The report claims that in Poland’s “LGBT-free zones” that for LGBT people, “just existing is an act of defiance”. CNN conducted an interview with various members of the LGBT environment in Poland, including the activist Staszewski himself.
CNN associated this supposed hatred of LGBT people with Polish Catholicism and strong national identity. The authors state that “particularly conservative, rural regions to the southeast have never embraced LGBT people.” They also claim that “homophobic rhetoric is uttered by the state and preached in churches, and hostility on the streets is boiling over.”
Staszewski stated that a “witch hunt” against LGBT people was being carried out in Poland and believed that LGBT people were second-class citizens and public enemies in the country.
