The United States ambassador held a U.S. flag high as he marched in the yearly Pride parade in Warsaw on Saturday (June 17), a clear message of WashingtonB次元官网网址檚 opposition to discrimination in a country where LGBTQ+ people are facing an uphill struggle.
B次元官网网址淎merica embraces equality,B次元官网网址� Ambassador Mark Brzezinski said, as he marched with more than 30 other members of the U.S. Embassy and alongsides representatives from Canada, Austria and other Western countries in the Equality Parade.
In recent years Western governments have been alarmed by a conservative government in Warsaw that depicts gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as threats to the nation and its children.
The participation of the U.S. ambassador sent a clear message to the government of Poland, a NATO member on the allianceB次元官网网址檚 eastern flank where the United States has increased its military presence since RussiaB次元官网网址檚 full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.
Poland has for decades considered Washington its key guarantor of security, but the importance of U.S. protection has only grown with the war playing out across its border in Ukraine.
The U.S. is also seen as a guarantor of protection to the LGBTQ+ community, which a few years ago was fighting for the right of same-sex union or marriage, but recently had been more concerned about a climate of hostility from the government and Catholic Church.
The colorful and joyful parade was a brief moment of celebration and relief for a community that has been criticized by elected leaders as a threat to nationB次元官网网址檚 traditional Catholic identity.
LGBTQ+ members have been especially worried because of elections this fall. The conservative nationalist ruling party, Law and Justice, has openly criticized the community ahead of past elections, an attempt to mobilize its conservative base.
Brzezinski told The Associated Press that his embassy B次元官网网址渉as heard disturbing reports of an organized campaign targeting PolandB次元官网网址檚 LGBTQI+ community with hate, lies, and slander in an attempt to divide Polish society. These attempts to sow divisions only strengthen the hand of those who seek to weaken democracy.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e hope these reports are not true. We hope disagreement does not devolve into discrimination or worse,B次元官网网址� Brzezinski said. B次元官网网址淲ords matter. Hate masquerading as morality can play no productive role in our societies.B次元官网网址�
As Polish President Andrzej Duda campaigned for reelection in 2020, he called the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights an B次元官网网址渋deologyB次元官网网址� more destructive than communism. The education minister, who oversees schools, was appointed to that job after saying LGBTQ+ members are not equal to B次元官网网址渘ormal people.B次元官网网址�
Last summer, the ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, mocked transgender people, saying B次元官网网址渨e must protect ourselves from madness.B次元官网网址�
And this spring, PolandB次元官网网址檚 commissioner for childrenB次元官网网址檚 rights ordered an inspection of schools that were ranked as the most LGBT-friendly in the country, saying he wanted to make sure principals were checking their employees against a pedophile registry.
Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press
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