The European Parliament will debate a resolution on Wednesday that would declare the 27 member countries of the European Union a “zone of freedom” for LGBT people.
The Associated Press reports that the motion comes largely in response to EU member Poland communities adopting symbolic resolutions declaring themselves free of what conservative politicians call “LGBT ideology.” Cities say they stand up for their Catholic values, but LGBT activists counter that these resolutions are discriminatory and designed to make the gay community feel unwelcome.
The resolution was made by the EU multi-party group, the LGBTI intergroup, which said it had enough support to pass the resolution. According to reports, the measure will also address the issues facing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people in the EU.
Liesje Schreinemacher, Dutch lawmaker and vice president of the LGBTI intergroup, told the PA that the resolution was roughly scheduled to mark the second anniversary of the first Polish community to pass an anti-LGBT resolution.
“We wanted to send a strong signal to Poland that we consider the whole of Europe to be an area of LGBTI freedom,” Schreinemacher said. “But all European countries have jobs.”
The PA reports that Poland’s local anti-LGBT rulings have damaged its international image and the finances of local communities, with the EU and non-member country Norway blocking funds because of what they consider discriminatory policies.
In September last year, ambassadors from 50 countries, including the United States, signed an open letter questioning the Polish government’s commitment to LGBT rights over concerns about crackdowns by the president’s administration. Andrzej Duda.
“We pay tribute to the hard work of LGBTI and other communities in Poland and around the world, as well as the work of all those who seek to ensure the human rights of LGBTI and other people belonging to communities facing similar challenges and ending discrimination in particular on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, ”the letter said.
At the time, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denied that LGBT people in Poland were restricted or threatened, and said tolerance was part of the “Polish DNA”.
According to a ranking by ILGA-Europe, an advocacy group for LGBT people, Poland currently ranks 42nd out of 49 European countries in terms of laws that respect the human rights of LGBT people.