“And high heels.” You can't wear dresses and high heels at a Pride march in Moscow, where your day will consist of thirty seconds, if that, of standing holding a banner, followed by being beaten and dragged off to the police station, possibly to be beaten again. “I realized it was my only opportunity to wear a mini dress to Pride,” she said. Suddenly, it occurred to her: she could wear anything at all. Yelena Kostyuchenko said she had only a few minutes between getting home from her newspaper job in Moscow and leaving for the airport to fly to New York on Saturday-and in that time she had to figure out what to pack. organization Queer Home, visited New York City for the first time from Kiev. But at the same time, we are going out in the streets and we are saying we are stronger and we are not going to give up,” said Miroslawa Makuchowska, vice director of Campaign Against Homophobia.Volodymyr Naumenko (third from left), the head of the Ukrainian L.G.B.T. “We’ve been through a very, very rough time. The resolutions were strongly denounced by EU officials and a handful have been rescinded.
In his successful bid for reelection against a challenge from Trzaskowski, President Andrzej Duda declared that “LGBT is not people it's an ideology” while also claiming that it was “even more destructive” than communism.Ī Polish archbishop warned of a “rainbow plague.” And dozens of local communities in Poland passed resolutions against "LGBT ideology,” claiming to protect traditional families. charge d'affaires Bix Aliu, who tweeted “Let's choose love not hate.”Ī year ago, the Polish LGBT community faced a backlash from ruling conservative politicians, local communities and the church. It made me question why I moved here,” he said.Īmbassadors and other diplomats from 14 embassies in Warsaw also took part, including the U.S. “The right-wing turn has made Poland feel much closer to my country of origin than I would have liked. Czerniak said the recent scapegoating of LGBT people by Polish officials feels reminiscent of Russia, in particular local anti-LGBT resolutions that “create an atmosphere of hate, suspicion and fear.” One prominent Polish activist, Bart Staszewski, carried a Hungarian flag in Saturday's march, saying it was a message to the EU to defend LGBT people because he fears that “Poland will be next.”Īmong those who participated was Misza Czerniak, a 37-year-old musician who was born in Russia and emigrated to Poland 10 years ago in part to flee the homophobia there. The European Union has criticized both nations, accusing them of eroding democratic norms. Poland's populist ruling party has taken a political direction very similar to that of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, pushing conservative policies and tightening ruling party control over courts and media. But human rights groups say it will stigmatize LGBT people and prevent youth from accessing critical information. Hungary's conservative ruling party portrayed the law as an effort to fight pedophilia. The parade comes only days after Hungary's parliament passed a law that makes it illegal to show any materials about LGBT issues to people under 18. He described feelings of sadness and helplessness that LGBT people have not achieved rights liked same-sex partnership or marriage in Poland, while also facing new threats. “The day of the parade is always a bittersweet moment for our community," said Rafal Wojtczak, a spokesman for the organizers. The joyful and colorful celebration was tinged with fear of what the future holds for the rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people after setbacks first in Russia and now in Hungary. Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski walked at the head of the parade in a sign of support for LGBT rights, joining thousands who were cheered on by others waving rainbow flags from apartment balconies and sidewalk cafes.īut that level of acceptance is not universal in Poland, a heavily Catholic, largely conservative nation.