Current Affairs

Polish MP opposes equal marriage because ‘gays are no use whatsoever to society’

Feb 01 2013
Written by Joseph McCormick

An Member of Parliament for the right-wing Polish opposition party has made homophobic remarks in a speech at a recent debate around the legalisation of equal marriage in the country.

Krystyna Pawlowicz MP, said, in a loosely translated speech which appeared on YouTube, that she could “not sponsor” legislation to allow equal marriage because gay people “are of no use whatsoever to society”.

A Polish citizen, Przemek Repetowicz, translated Pawlowicz’s speech during which she said: “After analysing proposals it comes to my mind that the reason for striving for legalising partnerships is mainly a will to profiting from privileges assigned to marriage.

Pawlowicz said: “Here I mean such privileges as in taxation, inheritance, housing, management and others that make life simpler. Unfortunately the society cannot sponsor a sweet life to short-lasting, vane [sic] & futile relationships of persons that are of no use whatsoever to society, sponsor only because of a sexual bond between those persons.”

Speaking to Gay Community News, Repetowicz said: “This speech is not only homophobic but shows how narrow minded the major right-wing party in the Polish parliament is.”

This comes shortly after yesterday’s announcement that Poland’s first trans MP was nominated by her party to fill the position of deputy speaker in the country’s parliament.

Following a general election, in November 2011, 57-year-old Anna Grodzka was sworn in as an MP for Krakow. A member of the Palikot Party, she said she wanted to make the Catholic country more accepting.

Now with the official backing of her party, the third-biggest in Poland, and her party leader, Janusz Palikot, Ms Grodzka may become one of Poland’s deputy parliamentary speakers in the 460-member lower house.

Historically a Catholic country, Poland has been divided in the past over LGBT rights issues.

According to a poll released earlier this month, support for equal marriage in the country has doubled since 2003, but still remains low.

The poll by TNS Polska indicated that in 2003, 8% of Polish people supported marriage equality, which had risen to 16% in 2012.