Fake news about “LGBT-free zones” results in a proliferation of lies about Poland. Ordo Iuris steps in

Adobe Stock

Based on fake news fabricated by LGBT activists about the alleged “LGBT-free zones”, representatives of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly have criticised Poland, claiming it violates the rights of people with homosexual inclinations. Ordo Iuris has stepped in to solve this matter. The Institute has sent its opinion to members of OSCE PA in order to correct the lies that were the source of their statements.

READ THE OPINION

The published press release from a Copenhagen meeting referred to the opinions of members of OSCE PA, who are responsible for the monitoring of the observance of human rights. The Chair of the Committee stated that in recent months in Poland there has been an increase of intolerance towards people with homosexual inclinations. A similar statement was also given by the Deputy Chair of the Committee, who repeated fake news made up by leftist activists and accused Polish local governments of establishing “LGBT-free zones”. Kari Henriksen, the Deputy Chair and Rapporteur of the Committee, called upon “all OSCE countries to introduce the necessary legislation to fully ensure the protection and promotion of the rights of LGBT individuals”.

In the opinion submitted to the representatives of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, the Ordo Iuris Institute pointed out that in Poland there are no “LGBT-free zones”. The Institute reminded that the term was coined as provocation by LGBT activists and proliferated by some media. The Local Government Charter of Family Rights, presented by them as an example of alleged discrimination, contains no references to individuals identifying as LGBT. It is a document prepared by a number of social organisations emphasising the rights of the family and parents guaranteed in the constitution and offering real guarantees for their observance.

The Local Government Charter of Family Rights must be clearly differentiated from anti-LGBT-ideology laws or declarations made by some local governments. Contrary to the manipulations spread by LGBT activists, those laws are not targeted against homosexual individuals, but represent an appeal against the LGBT ideology promoted by that movement which, according to their authors, undermines the rights of parents, freedom of speech, independence of schools and entrepreneurial freedom. Administrative courts in Poland have already confirmed the lawfulness of such declarations three times.

In the opinion sent to all members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Ordo Iuris Institute has also emphasised that the solutions available in the Polish legal order, whose aim in particular is to protect the family based on marriage understood as a relationship of a woman and a man, are in full compliance with the applicable international law. Moreover, Polish law already protects each citizen, regardless of his or her sexual orientation. It must be noted that there is no document of international law that would grant separate privileges to homosexual individuals as compared to the rest of the society. There are, however, a number of legal guarantees granting special protection to the family as the basic unit of society.

The European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, has recently repeated a similar manipulation. She informed that six applications from Polish local governments for co-financing under the partnership program had been rejected. The reason is to be the alleged implementation of "LGBT free zones".

“The statements about the situation of homosexual individuals in Poland formulated by representatives of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions of the OSCE are based on fake news. We must not agree to the spreading of lies and misinformation about our country by other representatives of international institutions. There are no ‘LGBT-free zones’ in Poland, and the law protects each citizen, regardless of his or her orientation”, comments Karolina Pawłowska, Director of the Center of International Law of the Ordo Iuris Institute