Poland’s right-wing defence minister called attendees at an LGBTI parade ‘sodomites’.
Mariusz Blaszczak made the remark on Polish pro-government TV station, TV Trwam.
The day before over 5,000 people had been on a parade through the western city of Poznan.
Mr. Blaszczak said the parade was ‘another parade of sodomites who are trying to impose their own interpretation of civic rights on other people.’
He also said that the parade was an showed that city authorities were more focussed on ideology rather than municipal issues, AP reported.
Final of Mr. Gay Europe
Th LGBTI parade coincided with the final of Mr. Gay Europe, which also took place in Poznan over the weekend.
The contest saw Enrique Doleschy, a 30-year-old German, win the title over six other finalists.
‘As long as there’s one person feeling like this, we need competitions like this to bring out the best in people and to force them, to drive them, to be better for each other,’ Doleschy said to AFP.
However, the light-hearted contest also attracted protests from right-wing groups and conservatives.
‘It’s not right to give privileges (to LGBT individuals) or elevate them to the level of families,’ one protester said. ‘Giving them the right to adopt when these are freaks is absurd and shouldn’t happen.’
Mr Gay Europe 2018 crowned in Poland, despite protests @MrGayEurope #MrGayEurope @ILoveGay2Day #ILoveGay – The final of this year’s edition of Mr Gay Europe took place on Saturday in the western city of Poznan in Poland. https://t.co/Hu9qcJuLoz pic.twitter.com/QdTeKVtgs6
— ILoveGay Poland (@ILoveGayPoland) 12 August 2018
Poland has become more LGBTI-friendly in recent years, though there are still strong conservative beliefs in Poland’s society and politics. The Catholic Church remains highly influential in Poland, and same-sex couples cannot adopt or marry.
In 2017, Poland’s president Andrzej Duda struck down the notion of the country ever legalising same-sex marriage. ‘I unequivocally repeat: marriage in accordance with the Polish Constitution is a union between a man and a woman’ Duba said.
In an annual review of human rights for LGBTI people by ILGA-Europe, Poland ranked 38 out of the 49 countries polled.
