Polish Region Has Voted To Remain An LGBTQ+-Free Zone Despite Risking Losing EU Funding

The European Commission has suspended talks with Małopolska, a southern province in Poland, regarding EU funding due to an anti-LGBTQ+ declaration they have adopted. The region has now refused to revoke its anti-LGBTQ+ resolution, despite the possibility of losing millions in EU funding.

The Polish region, Małopolska, has received a warning letter stating it could lose more than €2.5 billion of EU funding by mid-September following a declaration made in 2019.

According to Gay Times, in 2019, Małopolska became one of several Polish authorities to pass a resolution declaring an “opposition to the introduction of LGBT ideology.”

The province joined a handful of Polish regions which implemented the anti-LGBT+ measures to support Poland’s right-wing conservatives and the Roman Catholic Church, which is heavily ingrained into Poland’s religious society.

On Thursday (August 19), the regional assembly voted 0n whether to revoke the resolution, but the appeal was rejected by party representatives, euronews reports.

Council leader Jan Duda, who is also the father of Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, addressed the declaration made in 2019: “We cannot simply deny what was said in 2019.”

Duda added: “We need to meet and rewrite this declaration, as the one from 2019 has been misunderstood.”

In March 2021, the European Parliament took a stand against Poland’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws by dubbing the entire European Union as an “LGBTQI+ Freedom Zone.”

The new LGBTQI+ Freedom Zone measure declares that “LGBTIQ+ persons everywhere in the EU should enjoy the freedom to live and publicly show their sexual orientation and gender identity without fear of intolerance, discrimination, or persecution.”

Poland has faced backlash from its residents, the European Union, and even President Joe Biden for its “LGBTQ+-free” zones and homophobic behavior.

Their “LGBTQ+-free” zones – which came to fruition after the country’s ruling Law and Justice Party inspired several towns in Poland to be free from LGBTQ+ ideology – puts vulnerable LGBTQ+ citizens at risk of discrimination, prejudice, and violence.

Before the European Parliament introduced the LGBTQI+ Freedom Zone, fifty countries from around the world signed an open letter calling for Poland to “protect all citizens from violence and discrimination and to ensure they enjoy equal opportunities.”

After declaring themselves an “LGBTQ+-free zone,” several towns and regions in Poland lost millions in funding from EU grants.

Keep up to date with the latest myGnews

________

LGBTQ+ professionals, LGBTQ+ Graduates, LGBTQ+ professional network, LGBTQ+ professional events, LGBTQ+ networking events, LGBTQ+ Recruitment, LGBTQ+ Friendly organizations, LGBTQ+ Friendly companies, LGBTQ+ jobs