Poland’s President Vows To Ban LGBTQI Education
Image: President Andrzej Duda. Photo: Wiki Commons
Poland’s president vowed to ban education surrounding LGBTQI issues in schools during an election campaign speech.
Andrzej Duda came to power after the 2015 election in the predominately-Catholic nation.
He is known to be an ally of the ruling right-wing nationalist Law and Justice Party (PiS), which brands lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) “ideology” as an invasive foreign influence undermining traditional values Reuters reports.
As reported by multiple organisations, his campaign promises to “protect children from LGBT ideology” and prohibit the propagation of such ideas by public institutions.
Addressing his supporters earlier in the week, Duda said parents are responsible for the sexual education of their children.
“It is not possible for any institutions to interfere in the way parents raise their children,” he said.
The comments came after Duda signed the “Family Card” of proposals including pledges to preserve special benefit schemes for families and pensioners.
He added that he would not allow gay couples to marry or adopt children.
“It’s a foreign ideology,” Reuters quoted Duda as saying. “There is no consent for this phenomenon to happen in our country in any way.”
The country still does not recognise same-sex marriages and Article 18 of the Constitution of Poland states that “marriage, being a union of a man and a woman, as well as the family, motherhood and parenthood, shall be placed under the protection and care of the Republic of Poland.”
Residents will head to the polling booths on June 28 to vote for their next president.
Duda’s main opponent is Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski of the main centre-right opposition Civic Platform party.
Bloomberg reported that Duda said under his watch, marriage would remain a union between a man and a woman and in reaction, Trzaskowski said that if he wins, he’ll represent all types of families, including single-parent ones, as “the role of the Polish president is to build a community.”
Trzaskowski also tweeted that he wants to build a Poland that is based on shared values, opening and respect.
