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Poland at war over gay rights before ‘pride and prejudice’ election
- Homosexuality became the hottest electoral issue after the leader of Poland’s ruling party condemned gay rights as a ‘threat’ in April
- Opponents have seized upon this to slam the Law and Justice party for its close links to the influential Catholic Church
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Poland’s general election in October is shaping up to be dominated neither by the economy nor politics as the devout Catholic country goes to war over LGBT rights, denounced by the governing conservatives and an archbishop as a “threat” to their way of life.
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Homosexuality became the hottest electoral issue after PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski condemned gay rights as a “threat” in April and put the issue high on his party’s campaign agenda.
The leftist opposition has seized recent sparring over LGBT as an opportunity to slam the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party for its close alliance with the influential Catholic Church.
“For the PiS, it’s political fuel. It allows the party to reaffirm its political identity, its attachment to traditional values in the face of the wave of Westernisation,” political analyst Stanislaw Mocek said.
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“But the other side has also found a political weapon there, in the form of defending minority rights.”
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