50 Ambassadors, including the Albanian ambassador to Poland have expressed their support for LGBTI rights in Poland.
The open letter was published on what would have been the day of Poland’s Equality Parade. Signatories recognised the challenges the community face and “the need to jointly work on an environment of non-discrimination, tolerance, and mutual acceptance.”
They paid tribute to the work of the LGBTI community in Poland and around the world in seeking an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
This years parade was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Instead, the letter will be presented to the organisers of the parade and a representative of the Polish governmen on 9 October by the Ambassadors of Belgium, the UK, and Denmark.
Poland continues to struggle with an anti-LGBTI rhetoric that is found in both federal and local government. Earlier this year, President Andrzej Duda was sword in. He had previously ran an anti-LGBTI platform campaigning against equal rights for community members.
One third of Poland’s municipalities have passed resolutions outlawing “LGBTI propaganda” and declaring they are “pro family”.
It’s estimated that thousands of LGBTI Poles have escaped the country in search of “dignity and respect.”
