Polish president uses gay activist's wedding pictures to express oppositon to same-sex marriage

A Queens gay activist has filed a formal complaint against the Polish president after he used images of his wedding in a speech that expressed opposition to marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

President Lech Kaczynski used images from Brendan Fay and Tom Moulton’s 2003 wedding in Toronto during a nationally televised address to explain his opposition to the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty based, in part, because he vehemently opposes same-sex nuptials. Kaczynski and other Polish government officials have a long history of anti-LGBT rhetoric and supporting anti-LGBT legislation.

Human Rights Watch wrote former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski in March 2007 to warn against passage of a bill that would have banned the discussion of homosexuality in Polish schools, while the EU and activists across the world widely panned assertions a leading Polish official made last May that suggested the popular cartoon Teletubbies promote the so-called homosexual lifestyle.

Homophobia and even violence against LGBT Poles remain concerns, but some activists expressed optimism newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk would begin to address these issues upon his inauguration last November.

Fay said he plans to meet with the Polish Counsel General in New York next week. He added he will also request to meet with Kaczynski.

A New York Weekend

Lady Liberty on a beautiful October afternoon in New York



Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry

The weather remains unseasonably warm here in Bushwick (it's 68 degrees as I write at 11:15 a.m.). My friend Enrique and I went to the Statue of Liberty via the Staten Island Ferry yesterday. I went to the Union Square farmers market on Saturday morning and later rapped 'Tennessee' with a former GLAAD colleague and his friends in the East Village. I should now probably blog about something a bit more profound now that I've bored you all with news of my weekend in the city!

Republican presidential candidates once again tried to pander to social conservatives at the Family Research Council's so-called Value Voters Summit in Washington this weekend. J.K. Rowling outed Dumbledore during a New York appearance on Friday night. Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski lost his re-election bid on Sunday after voters endorsed Donald Tusk of Civic Platform. All of these news events prove yet again LGBT issues remain squarely in the mainstream. The New York gay set can certainly shop for Marc Jacobs goulashes in the West Village on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in October. Two good friends can traverse the East Village on a Sunday night in search of a perfect 40th birthday party venue for a well-known playwright. I can gossip with my roommate about reactions to my reporting... but the impact world (and local) events have certainly provide this blogger and others with fodder about which to write outside of the seemingly mundane details of our lives.

Polish Government to Investigate 'Gay' Teletubby

Is Tinky Winky gay? A former Polish MP says yes.

The Polish government has reportedly taken a page out of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's playbook and launched a probe to investigate whether the popular children's cartoon 'Teletubbies' promotes homosexuality. Anti-gay politician Ewa Sowinska told a Polish magazine she remains concerned the program promotes homosexuality.

"I noticed (Tinky Winky) has a lady's purse, but I didn't realize he's a boy," the former Polish MP said. "At first I thought the purse would be a burden for this Teletubby... later I learned that this may have a homosexual undertone."

The idea Tinky Winky and his juvenile posse continue to promote homosexuality remains a laughable confirmation of the rampant homophobia within the conservative Polish government. The European Union and other human rights organizations continue to criticize the former Communist country for it's dismal record against its gay and lesbian citizens. It seems, however, some within the government want to distance themselves from Sowinska's homophobic stupidity. Parliamentary Speaker Ludwig Dorn reportedly said her comments "may turn her department into a laughing stock." This categorization has already become a reality.

Update: 365Gay.com reports today Sowinska has backed away from her initial claim to investigate the program. Her spokesperson told the Associated Press "We are not going to deal with this issue any more." Reason has triumphed over absurdity in this particular case. Perhaps the Polish government will think twice before it again embarks upon another foolish anti-gay crusade.