Since the beginning of this year, more than 100 Polish cities and voivodeships (provinces), led by far-right administrations, approved measures against the phantom “LGBTI ideology” or manifestly discriminatory acts that ratify “LGBT-free zones”. Il Grande Colibrì, with Associazione Radicale Certi Rights and All Out, in accord with Polish activists, wrote a letter to Italian mayors of municipalities and presidents of regions that ratified partnerships with the territories affected by this wave of hatred: these partnerships could be an opportunity for Italian political representatives to become human rights ambassadors.
Our recommendations to mayors and presidents of regions need the support of the European public opinion: for this reason, Pulse of Europe, European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) and four national LGBTQIA organizations (Atlas Nienawiści in Poland; Certi Diritti and Il Grande Colibrì in Italy; LSVD in Germany) launched an international petition.
We wrote to…
…3 regions:
- Molise (twinned with Nowy Sącz);
- Piemonte (twinned with Łódź Voivodeship);
- Veneto (twinned with Lublin Voivodeship);
…11 municipalities:
- Brindisi (twinned with Świdnik);
- Isernia (with Nowy Sącz);
- Massa (with Nowy Sącz);
- Prato (Tomaszów Mazowiecki);
- Cassino (with Zamość);
- Chivasso (with Przemyśl);
- Crescentino (with Łososina Dolna);
- Menconico (with Starym Sączu);
- Palombara Sabina (with Ostrów Lubelski);
- Racalmuto (with Opole Lubelskie);
- Uggiate-Trevano (with Rypin).
We did these recommendations…
Raccomandazioni su come dimostrare solidarietà e supporto alla comunità LGBT+ polacca:
1. Use your partnership for advocacy purposes:
- Address the issue in your communication with your Polish counterparts. Ask them what motivated them to declare their city an “LGBT-free zone”. Share with them examples of how LGBT+ people are part of your local community and how your city supports them, e.g. during Pride month.
- If you are visiting your Polish twin city, try to organize meetings with local LGBT+ citizens or organizations and document them on social media or invite journalists to cover the exchange.
- If you are visiting Polish partners, organize interviews and media appearances addressing the issue and/or come together with local LGBT+ organizations and activists.
- Invite Polish partners to events, interviews in your own city addressing the issue and/or come together with local LGBT+ organizations and activists.
2. Develop or use existing cultural and social exchange programs to support local LGBT+ activities and projects:
- Encourage your Polish partner city to join a joint LGBT+ -related project with events in both cities, offering your help and (financial) assistance.
- Sponsor cultural exchanges (singers, artists, performances etc.) to visit queer events in your Polish partner city and vice versa.
- Organize a joint traveling exhibition with LGBT+ themes.
- Suggest and promote viewings of LGBT+ related movies from your country in your Polish partner city.
3. Support LGBT+ and Pride events in your partner city:
- Support and attend Pride events in your Polish partner city and encourage local Pride organizers in your city to join you.
- Plan official visits of representatives from your city to LGBT+ events (discussion rounds, cultural events, etc.).
- Invite your Polish counterparts to attend these events with you.
- Support artists, LGBT+ groups, performers, experts. etc. from your country in attending Polish Prides.
- Show support for LGBT+ projects and Pride marches in your partner city by sharing them on your social media channels.
