The European Parliament will debate on Wednesday a resolution that would declare the 27 member states of the European Union a “zone of freedom” for LGBT people.
The Associated Press reports that the motion comes largely in response to communities in Poland, an EU member, passing symbolic resolutions declaring themselves free from what conservative politicians call “LGBT ideology.” The cities say they defend their Catholic values, but LGBT activists refute that these resolutions are discriminatory and are intended to make the gay community feel unwelcome.
The resolution was made by the cross-party EU group, the LGBTI intergroup, which said it had enough support to pass the resolution. The measure will also reportedly address the issues facing gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, intersex and gays in the EU.
Liesje Schreinemacher, a Dutch lawmaker and vice chair of LGBTI Intergroup, told the AP that the resolution was about timed to celebrate the second anniversary of the first Polish community to pass an anti-LGBT resolution.
“We wanted to send a strong signal in Poland that we consider all of Europe to be an LGBTI freedom zone,” said Schreinemacher. “But every European country has work to do.”
The AP reports that Poland’s local anti-LGBT resolutions have damaged both the international image and the finances of local communities, with the EU and non-EU country Norway blocking funds over what they perceive to be discriminatory policies.
Last September, ambassadors from 50 countries, including the US, signed an open letter questioning the Polish government’s commitment to LGBT rights over concerns over the crackdown by President Andrzej Duda’s government.
“We pay tribute to the hard work of LGBTI and other communities in Poland and around the world, as well as to the work of all those who wish to safeguard human rights for LGBTI people and other individuals belonging to communities facing similar challenges. , and to ending discrimination. in particular on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, ”the letter read.
At the time, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denied that LGBT people in Poland were being restricted or threatened, saying that tolerance was part of “ Polish DNA. ”
According to a ranking by ILGA-Europe, an LGBT interest group, Poland is currently ranked 42nd out of 49 European countries in terms of laws that respect the human rights of LGBT people.