Reykjavik Gay Pride Supports Warsaw Pride
1.6.2005
The Reykjavik Gay Pride committee has sent a letter to the mayor of Warsaw, supporting the pride organization in the city to hold a pride event. Last year the police of Warsaw stoped the gay people of the city having a pride event. This year the mayor is trying to stop them.
The following letter has been sent to the mayor and copied to various parties and press in Iceland and Poland:
Mayor of Warsaw
Mr. Lech Kaczynski
00-950 Warszawa
ul. Miodowa 6/8, pok.128
Honorable Mayor of Warsaw
Our attention has been drawn to the fact that the mayor of Warsaw is hindering the Equality Foundation (Fundacja Rownosci) in celebrating a pride event, Parada Rownosci, in your beautiful city. Poland has just recently joined the European Union and by doing so undergoes all the laws of the union regarding human rights. Those human rights are also for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people. The national government of Poland and individual city governments in the country cannot choose which of those rights they want to respect.
Gay people all around the western world hold gay pride events and pride parades. The pride events are originated in events in New York 27 June 1969, when lesbians and gay men stood up for the first time and fought against the police attempting to arrest them for nothing else but for being gay. Since then gay people all around the world have commemorated this by having gay pride and a gay parade. The parade is to celebrate unity between gay people, diversity in the human society and love and respect between all people.
It is therefore with great sadness we witness a mayor in a capital city of a country where the citizens were depressed by dictatorial government for decades, were basic human rights were not respected, a country that is now free, after courageous fight of the people of Poland; making it impossible for the gay people of Warsaw to celebrate their freedom and basic human rights.
The Reykjavik Gay Pride committee strongly supports the rights secured in European laws allowing gay people to walk freely down the streets of all cities and towns in Europe. Respect for human rights for gay people in Poland will integrate Poland more into the family of Europe. Going against those rights will put Poland in second division regarding human rights in Europe and we cannot believe that is something serious politicians in Poland wants.
The Reykjavik Gay Pride committee challenge the mayor of Warsaw to allow the Equality Foundation to hold a gay pride and pride parade and to support the human rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people like he respects those rights of other citizens of Warsaw.
We shall follow this matter till the end and support the Equality Foundation in any steps they think they need to take at any platform in Europe so they can enjoy the rights given to gay people by European laws.
On behalf of Reykjavik Gay Pride
Heimir Már Pétursson
General Director of Reykjavik Gay Pride
& InterPride Vice-President