The Equality Parade – a march of for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons - passed off peacefully, Saturday, in Warsaw.

Around 1,000 demonstrators called for tolerance and protested against homophobia in Poland.

Robert Biedron from the Campaign Against Homophobia said that the demonstration could have gathered more people but there is still a persistent fear of intolerance prevailing in Polish society, he claimed.  In his opinion, many homosexuals are reluctant to disclose their sexual preferences fearing the reaction of family and friends.

The Warsaw parade demanded legalizing homosexual relationships and called for introducing education, free of homophobic ideas.

The parade marched undisturbed through the capital, but a counter demonstration of rightist and nationalist youth movements gathered outside the Parliament buildings. Their representatives said they were not protesting against gay and lesbian movements but demanding respect for the Polish Constitution, whereby demanding legalization for recognition of homosexual partnerships is a violation of article 18, which reads that marriage is a partnership “between a man and a woman”. (ab/pg)