Poster Campaign Stirs Outcry in Poland, May 28, 2003

Catholic groups sparked a new debate with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organisations in Poland when they pressured the government to stop the public display of gay-themed posters and billboards. The posters and billboards were part of an awareness-raising campaign designed to increase public sensitivity and awareness on how the LGBT community is being treated in the capital of Warsaw. LGBT organisations hailed and supported the campaign. '"We are the biggest minority in this country and our image has been distorted. For the first time, gays were shown as ordinary people," said Robert Biedron, leader of the Warsaw-based Campaign Against Homophobia. The campaign was created by Karolina Bregula, a 24 year-old photography student, who took pictures of gay and lesbian couples in affectionate poses. The pictures were enlarged, reproduced as posters and prominently displayed in public squares and kiosks throughout the country. The campaign carried the slogan "Let them see us."' The campaign was funded by the Polish government with additional support from the Swedish and Danish embassies. The materials were supposed to be exhibited for two months. But after just one week of exposure, municipal offices were forced to take the posters down in response to disagreements and protests expressed by the Catholic groups against the campaign. The move also stirred a media debate on LGBT rights in the country. On the upside, the developments have stirred public support for the LGBT community's aborted poster campaign. The national daily Gazeta Wyborcza recently published a letter signed by prominent Polish intellectuals who opined "'The fate of the campaign has showed the scale of intolerance, fear and censorship in our country. A voice in defence of the campaign is a voice in defence of freedom of speech, tolerance and human rights.'"
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