Equality Parade demands civil partnerships

Demonstrators take part in the 14th Equality Parade, Warsaw. Photo: PAP/Jakub Kaminski

This year's parade was held under the slogan 'Equal rights – a common cause,' with MPs from the liberal Your Movement party and the Democratic Left Alliance taking a prominent place among the marchers.

Robert Biedron (Your Movement), Poland's first openly gay MP, participated for the fourteenth successive time in the now annual parade.

“To be honest, I'm livid that after 14 years we're still up against the same conditions, and they're still valid,” he said.

Besides civil partnerships and gay marriage, demonstrators called for greater protection against hate speech, as well as anti-discrimination classes in schools, among other matters.

Twenty-seven ambassadors in Warsaw backed the parade in a letter of support initiated by the Belgian ambassador.

Two groups of protesters demonstrated against the marchers, but unlike in some previous years, there were no outbreaks of violence.

Anti-gay activists brandished banners with slogans such as 'Faggots Forbidden' and 'Eurosodomia,' while also equating homosexuality with paedophilia.

Draft legislation on civil partnerships was voted down in parliament in January 2013. Despite support from Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the issue proved divisive in his centre-right Civic Platform party, and support from Your Movement and the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) was outweighed by conservative opposition party Law and Justice. (nh/pg)

Source: PAP