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Jul 28, 2010
Marchers in the gay Pride parade in Warsaw, Poland, earlier this month. – Photo: dontcallmeikke/Dominika Komender via flickr
Thousands of gays and lesbians from around Europe marched through Poland’s capital July 17 to demand equal rights and more tolerance in this heavily Roman Catholic nation.
The parade, part of the EuroPride gay rights festival, is meant to give a boost to the fledgling gay rights movement in Poland. Gay rights were strongly repressed during the communist era, and gays and lesbians have struggled since communism fell 20 years ago for acceptance in a society still strongly influenced by the church.
“We feel like they are 20 years behind the Netherlands,” said Ad Bakker, a 39-year-old from Holland who traveled to Warsaw to show solidarity with Polish friends. “But the atmosphere is good and we hope that EuroPride will help.”
An initial police estimate put the number of participants at 8,000.
from WiG and AP reports
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