European Parliament Declares Whole of EU an ‘LGBT freedom zone’

People take part in Equality March in support of LGBT rights in Wroclaw, Poland, 03 October 2020. EPA-EFE/Maciej Kulczynski

The resolution, in itself symbolic, calls on the European Commission to use all available tools - including infringement procedures, Article 7, and the new rule-of-law mechanism attached to the EU budget - to ensure that the rights of LGBT people are respected in Poland.

In her 2020 State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared "LGBT-free zones have no place in our union" - a direct response to the Polish resolutions - but little action followed. The European Parliament resolution is meant to put pressure on the European Commission to take concrete steps to halt the discriminatory measures being pushed by Poland's right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government and others in Central and Southeast Europe.

The resolution states that the decisions of the Polish municipalities "are part of a broader context of increased discrimination and attacks against the LGBTIQ community in Poland", which include "growing hate speech by public authorities, elected officials - including by the current President - and the pro-government media", "arrests of LGBTIQ rights activists", and "attacks against and bans on pride marches."

"It's a very important resolution, another step to put pressure on the European Commission to stand up for LGBT rights," Polish activist Bart Staszewski told BIRN. "We can't just stick to symbolic acts - we need actions and bold politicians."

"Poland is right now a battleground in the war of right-wing movements against LGBT rights and the result will tell us a lot not only about the future of Poland, but also of the whole EU," Staszewski added.

The Polish...