In 2004 Poland had its first gay wedding (not officially recognised), and the following year Warsaw’s public transport body became the first company to officially acknowledge homosexual relationships by giving gay employees and their partners the right to free transport.
Harsh sentiments, but not nearly as malignant as the ones voiced by LPR politician Wojciech Wierzejski, whose memorable rants reasoned ‘gays should be bludgeoned… they are all paedophiles and members of the mafia’. In the past both the former prime minister, Jarosław Kaczyński, and his late twin, President Lech Kaczynski, stirred discontent the latter by proclaiming homosexuality as ‘unnatural’ and the former for stating homosexuals should be banned from teaching posts. That said, the local government received a petition with over 50,000 signatures demanding the parade itself be cancelled. Warsaw does however offer far more tolerance and understanding 2010 saw several thousand people march in Warsaw in the first EuroPride event to be held in Central or Eastern Europe. Centuries of hard-core Catholicism matched with provincial attitudes have conspired to create an atmosphere where homosexuality is still regarded as morally incorrect by much of the population.
