DLNews Staff:

Rainbow flags burn in the middle of Europe. Homosexuals are spat on. Christians try to pray away gayness. Because that is a severe sin for them. Nevertheless, courageous Poles make their love visible here!

On Saturday, tens of thousands marched through the country's capital, where the situation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) people seems oppressive. Pride isn't just a lavish party here; it's a real protest.

"I love Polish Boys" is written on Jan Cieslak's (25) T-shirt, which he doesn't like: Religious-reactionary politics.

"MY MOTHER SAYS I'M GOING TO HELL"

It takes much courage for drag queen Hiacynta to take to the streets here. Like 85 percent of the citizens, she is Catholic. Queer and church – that usually doesn't go together in Poland. You to BILD: "My mother is very religious. She always tells me I'm going to hell, and she's praying for me."

Tens of thousands celebrated peacefully - thanks to a massive police presence.

Extreme right-wing forces, the attempt to ban Pride, and discrimination in everyday life are stinging pain for Hiacynta. “Many of my friends have moved abroad where they can live freely. In some places, I'm afraid of being beaten up." This means: "Even holding hands with my boyfriend is too risky for me."

"The government hates us," says drag queen Hiacynta.

RAINBOW FLAGS ON FIRE

Where it flies the flag for diversity, national conservatives torch it on the spot! Suddenly, the aggressive campaigns became visible to everyone: along the route, counter-demonstrators from the “Life and Family Foundation” poured petrol over rainbow flags and set them on fire. Police operation!

On one street alone, more than 60 police vans protect the Pride demonstration. But the counter-demonstrators remain, daubing colorful flags and even spitting on homosexuals. A few meters further, Catholics are praying the Rosary.

These counter-protesters associate homosexuality with pedophilia.

Their banners claim the supposed "LGBT lobby" wants to "teach four-year-olds to masturbate." The warning: "Stop pedophilia!"

GAYS AND LESBIANS DEMAND MARRIAGE FOR ALL

The demands are specific: Ewa (47) is a lesbian. "I wanted to get married, but I can't." There are also no registered civil partnerships.

Ewa (47) from Warsaw wanted to marry her partner. Impossible in Poland!

The fact is: The PiS party (ruled since 2015) denounces a supposed "LGBT ideology" that is directed against Polish traditions and values. President Andrzej Duda (51) said in 2020: "They try to convince us that these are people. But it's just an ideology.”

The Christians prayed "a rosary of vengeance for the sin of bestiality." 

The rejection of the minority turned into a cauldron. Since 2019, almost 100 regions of Poland have declared themselves “LGBT-free zones.” When the EU wanted to cut funds, some withdrew the statements.

 

The calls for help in the country: are still unmistakable today...