PiS’ Homophobia. How the president, chairman, ministers and deputies aroused hatred of LGBT in Poland

OKO.press, as a civic medium, benefiting from the tradition of civic journalism, asks Poles and Europeans, as well as the EU and UN agencies, to exert pressure and make every effort to stop homophobic hatred, contempt and the exclusion being expressed by the populist right wing government nad ruling party in Poland.

A selection of only some of the statements of politicians from the ruling party – from the president and the prime minister, through ministers and members of parliament to voivods and education superintendents – shows that we are experiencing the systematic use of homophobia as a political tool. This is even more dangerous because, apart from poisoning minds, it is an incentive for extreme right-wing groups to express this hostility in their deeds. All the more so that a similar attitude is expressed by many hierarchs of the Catholic Church, the particular manifestation of which was the acknowledgment by the Episcopate committee that an IKEI employee dismissed for homophobic aggression on the company portal is a good example of a “secular apostolate” to follow.

“Fortunately, the red plague is no longer walking all over our land, which does not mean that there is no new plague that wants to take control of our souls, hearts and minds. Not Marxist or Bolshevik, but neo-Marxist, born of the same spirit. Not red, but rainbow coloured,” said Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising.

The dramatic consequences of the atmosphere created by the secular authorities were the attacks on the Equality March on 20 July 2019 in Białystok by fascist groups with the support of some residents.

We cannot accept that such things take place in Poland. We are announcing an appeal to the following to take counteracting steps to:

• the most important Polish media;
• foundations monitoring the observance of human rights;
• the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (all MPs will receive the text);
• the President of the Republic of Poland;
• the Polish Ombudsman.

We also appeal to the international public – we are sending this appeal to selected media in Europe and the USA. In addition, we appeal to the institutions that can intervene formally or at least exert pressure on the ruling populist right-wing politicians in Poland. The experience of 2017–2019 indicates that the pressure of the EU institutions can be more effective than the actions of the opposition and civic protests.

We are sending the appeal to the authorities responsible for promoting equality in:

• the European Commission;
• the European Parliament (all MPs will receive the text);
• the Council of Europe;
• the UN.

We also believe that legal protection of LGBT people must be urgently introduced into the Polish Penal Code. We want the premise of sexual orientation and gender identity to be introduced into Articles 256 and 257 on liability for inciting hatred, insults and the breach of inviolability, as well as Article 119 on the use of physical violence and illegal threats.

We expressed our request to amend the Penal Code on 1 August 2019 in the form of a petition from OKO.press and Amnesty International, which can be signed here: “The law must protect LGBT people against violence”.

Here is a list of quotes in chronological order.

Beata Kempa, 24 June 2015: They will order a child through the back door.

“There is one more important issue – the availability of this method [in vitro] to everyone and not, for example, married couples. LGBT communities are happy today because they go around through the back door and order a child. That’s the law you created.”

Beata Kempa – PiS MP in 2005–2019, minister in Beata Szydło’s and Mateusz Morawiecki’s governments in 2015–2019, MEP from 2019.

Beata Mazurek, 6 November 2016: Paweł Rabiej’s ‘Bad touch’

[to Paweł Rabiej]: “You shouldn’t talk about a bad touch, it’s indecent; you, in particular, shouldn’t talk about it.”

Beata Mazurek – PiS MP in 2005–2019, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm in 2018–2019, PiS’ press officer in 2016–2019, MEP since 2019.

(See our text “MP Mazurek’s homophobic nonsense. ‘You, in particular, shouldn’t talk about a bad touch’”)

Ryszard Czarnecki, 3 June 2017: They have all rights but they want to discriminate against heterosexual people

“Poland is a country of equality and tolerance in both formal/legal terms, as well as in practical terms. As far as I am aware, people who represent sexual minorities in Poland have all their rights guaranteed (...) These people in Poland have all their rights guaranteed, but if they are demanding something more than heterosexual people, this is why heterosexual people can feel discriminated against at this moment.”

Ryszard Czarnecki – Ryszard Czarnecki - MEP since 2004, in PiS since 2008 (previously in the Self-Defence [Samoobrona] party, the Real Politics Union [UPR] and the Christian-National Union [ZChN]), vice-president of the European Parliament 2014–2018, dismissed for comparing Róża Thun to a Nazi collaborator.

(see also “Ryszard Czarnecki’s Parody of Equality. Fulfilling the demands of “these people” would mean discrimination against heterosexual people”).

Stanisław Pięta, 11 August 2017: Anti-culture, gay industry, degeneration

"Poles are rejecting this intrusive anti-culture propagated by the gay industry. They know that nations which chose this route plunge into cultural chaos and degenerate rapidly.”

Stanisław Pięta – PiS MP since 2015.

Krystyna Pawłowicz, September 2017: If you don’t sow pathology, there will not be a lethal harvest

“First they propagate unnatural attitudes and relationships among children and adolescents who are susceptible to various non-standard behaviours and then, when these disturbed behaviours are brutally reproached by their peers and this ends tragically in extreme cases, the leftist ideologues of moral pathologies turn everything around and falsely, impertinently lament over the ‘murderous intolerance’ of their peers. If you don’t sow pathology, there will not be a lethal harvest.

Krystyna Pawłowicz – doctor habilitatus of law, member of PiS since 2011.

Ryszard Legutko, 16 May 2018: There are actually no homophobic attacks

“It is not attacks on people with same-sex inclinations that are hiding behind the slogan of homophobia, because there are actually no such attacks.”

Ryszard Legutko – professor of humanities, Minister of National Education in 2007, MEP since 2009.

(Analysis in OKO.press. “Rainbow flag on the European Parliament’s mast. Ryszard Legutko (PiS) protests: after all, there is no persecution of LGBTI people”).

Mariusz Błaszczak, 13 August 2018: Tram drivers defended what is normal, as God intended, against the parade of sodomites

“Another parade of sodomites in Poznań, who are trying to impose their own interpretation of civil rights and duties on others. Of importance was that the tram drivers disagreed to their trams having flags of homosexuals.

However, this demonstrates that the Polish nation is certain that all of this is designed as God intended; it is normal. And if someone tries to impose something on us that is not normal, he encounters resistance. This speaks highly of these people.”

Mariusz Błaszczak – Minister of the Interior and Administration (2015–2018), Minister of National Defence since 2018. PiS MP since 2007.

(See “Błaszczak: Parade of Sodomites, not as God intended, abnormal people. The minister needs therapy”).

Tomasz Pitucha, 23 and 27 September 2018: Homopropaganda on the anniversary of the Fatima apparitions

“There is no point hiding the fact that this is a provocation targeted at Lublin’s community of believers. The march has been planned for 13 October [2018], on the anniversary of the Fatima apparitions. It is also homopropaganda and not an equality march. We call on the mayor to ban this march for the public good (....) The most fervent fans of W. Smarzowski’s film want to organize a so-called equality march in Lublin to promote homosexuality and paedophilia.”

Tomasz Pitucha – a PiS councillor in Lublin.

Andrzej Duda, 10 November 2018: ban on homopropaganda in schools? I would take such an act seriously

[about the act prohibiting “homopropaganda”] “If such an act were to arise and were to be well written, I cannot rule out the fact that I would seriously consider it.”

Andrzej Duda – President of the Republic of Poland since 2015.

(OKO.press article “Direction to Putin. Duda: I would seriously consider an act prohibiting homosexual propaganda in schools”)

Zdzisław Krasnodębski, 1 February 2019: Biedroń has no chance, because the majority are heterosexual

[About Biedroń’s party] “I do not suppose this was some sort of major movement. However, judging by Stefan Niesiołowski’s scandal, it seems to me that the majority of Poles adhere to heterosexual love.”

Zdzisław Krasnodębski – doctor habilitatus in humanities, PiS MEP since 2014.

Barbara Nowak, 20 February 2019: LGBT is a promotion of paedophilia

“Did Rafał Trzaskowski state what LGBT really is? DID HE MENTION THAT IT INCLUDES THE PROMOTION OF PAEDOPHILES? People are being sold lies that this is a battle for equal rights for homosexuals. RESIDENTS OF WARSAW, WHY DO YOU AGREE TO YOUR CHILDREN BEING HARMED?!" [post in Twitter]

Barbara Nowak – education superintended in Małopolska, appointed by Minister Anna Zalewska in 2016, PiS councillor in Kraków in 2010–2014.

(See also: Superintendent Nowak: LGBT+ declaration is the promotion of paedophilia. Ombudsman wants disciplinary consequences”)

Ryszard Czarnecki, 27 February 2019: Promoting the LGBT ideology at the expense of helping the Warsaw insurgents

“These are millions of zlotys of Warsaw’s money and money of Polish taxpayers spent on promoting the LGBT ideology. There is a lack of this money, for example, for helping veterans, people who fought for Poland and for a free Warsaw, the Warsaw Insurgents. People are missing their basic needs today. This money is also not spent on the economic and social objectives that Rafał Trzaskowski promised in the election campaign.”

Krystyna Pawłowicz, 6 March 2019: Can Biedron/Rabiej/Piróg hammer a nail into the wall?

"Mr Rabiej, Biedroń, Piróg and colleague, etc.

Can you hammer a nail into a wall?

Can you hang up a bookshelf?

What about painting a room?

Can you change a part in a motorcycle?

Can you do 100 press-ups and lift 2 suitcases?

Would get through 2 weeks of military training?

Just as I thought ...” [statement in Twitter]

Jarosław Kaczyński, 16 March 2019: Stay away from our children

“Seven days ago, I thanked the deputy mayor of Warsaw [Paweł Rabiej] for his honesty, whereas today I have to thank him again for his honesty, as he has simply made it clear that this is not about tolerance, it is about affirmation. About the affirmation of same-sex relationships, about marriages from these relationships; the objective is for them to have the right to adopt children. We want to state clearly: we say no to this, especially when it comes to children. Stay away from our children.”

Jarosław Kaczyński – PiS chairman since 2001, prime minister in 2006–2007.

Krystyna Pawłowicz, 17 March 2019: A man with a goat, a woman with a dog

“Nothing contrary to the natural M+W relationship, as a pathology, can be ‘under the protection and care’ of the state. Likewise, relationships between a man and a goat or a woman and a dog. After all, people with pathologies are subject to the law on general terms and they benefit from different rights, regardless of their disease.”

Dariusz Piontkowski, 19 March 2019: Should marches forcing non-standard sexual behaviour be organized?

“Such marches incited by circles trying to force non-standard sexual behaviour arouse a great deal of resistance, including in our place. Therefore, it is worth considering whether such events should be organized in the future, because this causes riots, it can cause health hazards for many casual passers-by. Serious consideration should be given as to how to solve this problem.”

Dariusz Piontkowski – Minister of National Education since 2019, PiS MP since 2011, previously in the Centre Agreement party [Porozumienie Centrum].

Stanisław Karczewski, 20 March: However, you cannot promote or affirm anyone

“We have never spoken up against these circles; we have treated them as being absolutely equal to others, because we need equality in Poland – the equality of Poles with respect to the law and the equality of Poles with respect to other circles. And we have always taken such a stance. However, you cannot promote or affirm anyone.”

Stanisław Karczewski – doctor, PiS senator since 2005 and Speaker of the Senate since 2015.

Jarosław Gowin, 29 March 2019: Imposing LGBT ideology in the upbringing of all children

“There is nothing to stop those who think they should bring up their own children in the spirit of LGBT ideology to apply it to their children. However, an attempt to impose this or any other ideology as an element of the general education system would be a breach of the principle of the freedom of parents to raise their children.”

Jarosław Gowin – Civic Platform [Platforma Obywatelska] (PO) Senator since 2005 and MP in the PO-PSL government since 2007, minister of justice in the PO-PSL government (2011–2013), PiS MP since 2015, deputy prime minister and minister of science and higher education in the PiS government.

Ryszard Czarnecki, 1 April 2019: Fraudulence of partner relationships (one thing leads to another)

“Advocates of sexual minorities demanding ‘partner relationships’ – as an introduction to homosexual ‘marriages’ – under the pretext of assuring them of the ability to inherit or to obtain information about the health of a ‘partner’ in the hospital is pure fraudulence. Polish law guarantees one and the other without any such legalization of ‘partner relationships’. Therefore, this is not about obtaining tolerance – because it exists – but entry onto the ‘staging’ route, which has already been experienced for decades in the U.S. and Western Europe. This can be described by an old Polish saying: ‘one thing leads to another’.”

Zdzisław Krasnodębski, 13 April 2019: A homosexual does not have to be gay right away

“I had two or three homosexual friends who were not gays, because this was still before the gay movement. Just as not every woman is a feminist, not every homosexual is a gay activist. The fact is that an ideology is made of a certain aspect of private life.”

Przemysław Czarnek, 16 May 2019: Homosexuality is the cause of the crime of paedophilia in the Church

According to the Church’s statistics, we have had 640 cases of crimes of paedophilia in Poland over the past 30 years. 60% of these are homosexual cases. If we wanted to really contribute to the defence of the family and the child, we should talk more honestly about the crime of paedophilia in the Church. But it would be very honest if we were to state what the role of homosexuality is in this crime and why homosexuality is the main reason for paedophilia in the Church.”

Przemysław Czarnek – doctor habilitatus of law, voivod of Lublin appointed by Beata Szydło’s government since 2015.

Jarosław Kaczyński, 21 May 2019: There are no children from homosexual couples. Has anyone heard that there were? Well no (laughter)

“They [in the EU] want to pass regulations which many countries have today; they even want to persecute people who state the obvious. We are worried about this; we think it is unfair that someone is dragged into the police station because he says that homosexual couples cannot have children. Has anyone heard that there were? Well no (laughter).”

Dariusz Piontkowski, 4 June 2019: Adoption of children by homosexual couples heads towards paedophilia

“Sexualisation of a child from its second or third year of life is an attempt to bring up children who will be given to paedophiles at some point. The slogan of homosexual couples adopting children is heading in a similar direction.”

Mateusz Morawiecki, 15 June 2019: The defence of heterosexual marriage is like the battle of Salamis

“We should be under no illusions. This battle will now be – yesterday, I said that it would be like the battle of Grunwald – today (I state) that perhaps it will be like some other battle, like the battle of Salamis. We are the heirs of those ancient Greeks, Greeks of freedom, Greek democracy. That is why we are defending the constitution against those who want to breach it, regardless of the fact that it contains article 20 about the social market economy, about what marriage is about, that marriage is a union of man and woman. Let’s not allow the constitution to be breached. So now it will be a battle to the end, like the battle of Salamis. And, unfortunately, we have fewer resources than the Greeks of that time, just like other heirs of freedom.”

Mateusz Morawiecki, deputy prime minister in Beata Szydło’s government and Prime Minister from December 2017, a member of PiS since March 2016

Barbara Nowak, 5 July 2019: Such an education is a crime

“A school should be a place where the pupil receives reliable knowledge and sound moral foundations on which he can build his life. Letting harmful content into young minds destroying harmonious development, for instance that sex is only a product of culture, learning to negotiate sex or choosing sex from an early age, proposing that he makes the choice of who will be better for him to live with – with boys or girls, is a crime.”

Przemysław Czarnek, 1 July 2019: LGBT is a neo-Marxist ram that turns everything upside-down

“This is the so-called neo-Marxist tolerance. Neo-Marxism has the peculiarity that it completely eliminates the truth as a criterion in interpersonal relationships and relativizes everything. It equates everything to everything other than Christianity and the Catholic Church. According to neo-Marxists – LGBT is a neo-Marxist ram, which turns everything on the streets of our cities upside-down in terms of our culture, customs, tradition – everyone can do anything, except for Catholics.”

Witold Waszczykowski, 8 July 2019: the gender and LGBT ideology is demanding privileges

“We are experiencing a spreading gender and LGBT ideology, which is trying to persuade Poles that Poland has excluded communities whose rights should be equated with the rest of society. It transpires that they are demanding privileges.”

Witold Waszczykowski – PiS MP (2011–2019), minister of foreign affairs (2015–2018), PiS MEP from 2019.

Jarosław Gowin, 16 July 2019: Shocking Poles and demoralizing children with behaviours and views which are contrary to Polish tradition

“We are a pluralistic society; we respect people with different views, different orientations, including sexual orientations. But respect for people of this type is one thing, while shocking Poles and demoralizing Polish children with behaviours and views that are completely contrary to Polish tradition is something else.”

Przemysław Czarnek, 22 July 2019: City officials should ban these marches because they cause offence and destroy values Poland has had for 1053 years

“Officials of cities in which the so-called equality marches are organized should ban them. In accordance with the act on assemblies, which unambiguously specifies that marches may be banned if they are in conflict with the provisions of criminal law. Criminal law, specifically the code of misdemeanours, contains a provision of article 51, which imposes criminal sanctions for causing offence and, after all, these marches create greater or lesser offence everywhere.”

“After all, all LGBT rights in Poland are guaranteed and respected. (...) All ‘equality marches’ have the same objective. Once again, I would like to emphasize that the objective of ‘equality marches’ is to turn the values, on the basis of which society and the Polish nation have existed for 1053 years, upside-down. They want a cultural and sexual revolution.”

Przemysław Czarnek, 22 July 2019: Disgusting perversions, deviations, aberrations

“Flirting with your sexuality on the street is simply disgusting. We should not promote perversions, deviations, and aberrations.”

Krystyna Pawłowicz, 24 July 2019: A veterinarian will allow a visit [About partnership relationships]

“Well, I understand that they want to visit each other in animal shelters and not hospitals. The veterinarian will allow this without a special declaration.”

Ryszard Terlecki, 26 July 2019: We need to understand those who resist the overbearing LGBT propaganda

[About the distribution of the ‘LGBT Free Zone’ stickers by ‘Gazeta Polska’] “In general, I agree that we should not exclude anyone for various reasons, for reasons of their otherness, but we need to understand those who resist such propaganda or promotion, which is supposed to distinguish these circles in some way. I mean the people who organize these regular marches or parades, travel from city to city, who oppose such propaganda, which is a bit overbearing.”

Ryszard Terlecki, PiS MP since 2007, deputy speaker of the Sejm since 2015.

Ryszard Czarnecki, 27 July 2019: In Bialystok, there was confrontation of extreme circles, while aggression affects believers

About the homophobic attacks on the Equality March in Bialystok 20 July 2019: “I do not understand why Mayor Tadeusz Truskolaski (...) agreed to manifestations of extreme environments at the same place and time. This obviously led to negative emotions. Today it solidarity with the victims of aggression should be expressed, including the verbal aggression, which has affected believers in recent months.”