San Francisco official urges street named after anti-gay Lech Walesa to be changed

A San Francisco supervisor whose district includes Lech Walesa Street is considering introducing legislation to change its name because of the former Polish president’s recent homophobic remarks.

Walesa came under fire earlier this month for saying during a TV interview that gay people should not be able to hold important political roles.

He also said that gay MPs should sit “behind a wall” in the Polish Parliament.

Despite a formal complaint against him because of the remarks, the Nobel Prize winner won’t face a hate crime charge.

Walesa’s son, MEP Jaroslaw Walesa, called his father’s comments “harmful” and “typical of the older generation in Poland”.

San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim wants to rename Lech Walesa Street in the city after gay rights activist Tom Waddell, or give it the previous name of Ivy Street.

The Tom Waddell Health Center, which includes a transgender clinic, is located on Lech Walesa Street.

Mr Waddell worked at the clinic and also created the Gay Olympics, later renamed the Gay Games.

Waddell died in 1987 of AIDS-related causes.

• Dec 01 2023

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