QUEERWARSAW
Kaczyƒski Lech
the left-wing government of that time decided to revoke the ban. That is how an illegal parade marched on the streets of Warsaw, to the astonishment of all, including the participants. The banned parade made the front pages of the time, but its greatest success was the verdict of European Court of Human Rights on Bączkowski and others against Poland case, saying that Warsaw authorities (including Lech Kaczyński) violated the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court’s decision of 3rd May 2007 was the greatest success in the history of Polish LGBT movement. It is worth mentioning that the main excuse for banning the parade was the lack of plan for street traffic alteration which according to the authorities should have been provided by the organizers, though from the law’s perspective such a document was not required. The day before the Pride a poll was carried out and the results showed that, although many inhabitants admitted that they were not very pleased with the parade, the majority of them (47 to 41) agreed that the authorities were not right to ban it. Democracy triumphed over homophobia. Another Kaczyńki’s well-known line is “Spieprzaj, dziadu” [“Get lost, loser”*)], which he addressed to a person who confronted him on a street. Since that day the line is used by Kaczyński’s opponents and appears on banners on demonstrations. Praga district, the borough of Warsaw where the event took place, introduced even its own coin with “Dziad” denomination, which is accepted in a number of bars and restaurants as a tourist attraction. The President had a reputation of a homophobe, and well-earned it was, though when asked about it by the foreign media he denied it, claiming that some of his close associates and friends are homosexual. In contrast, while visiting Ireland as President, he delivered the following speech, leaving aghast the international public:
„„
If this kind of attitude towards sexual life was promoted on a large scale – the human species would disappear. There are some people suffering from this different sexual orientation among my friends, but they enjoy full rights, and are able to develop in many aspects of life. This orientation has always existed, I don't know why. I am not going to fight with it, or force a therapy. At the same time I don't think promoting this orientation is right.
There are many rumours concerning sexuality of Lech’s twin brother Jarosław, the chairman of the second largest political party in Poland, who is a confirmed bachelor and lives with his mother. Lech Wałęsa, the icon of Solidarność, hinted once during his term of office that he would invite Jarosław with his husband. However, the alleged homosexuality of Jarosław Kaczyński has never been proved. *) The word “dziad(u)” is translated as “loser”, but the English translation does not convey the depth of its semantics; the word used by Kaczyński is very old-fashioned, if not low, and – in addition – Kaczyński made a grammatical mistake while saying it, typical for uneducated provincial people, which is probably why the line earned its fame – translator’s remark.
96