Minister Radziszewska; photo – east news

Minister Elzbieta Radziszewska has been fiercely criticized by leftwing, gender and gay rights organizations for a series of homophobic remarks.

In an interview for the Catholic-oriented daily Gosc Niedzielny, Radziszewska said that a Catholic school has the right to sack a lesbian teacher  or refuse to employ one in the first place.

In the opinion of Radziszewska, responsible for equality issues in the centre-right Civic Platform-led coalition government, discrimination against gay teachers in religious schools is in accordance with Poland’s labour code and EU law, which allows religious institutions to refuse to employ a person who has different ethics from those of the institution.

Later, she said that she would defend a homosexual teacher if a state school made him or her redundant, howevers.

Anger at the minister’s remarks grew when Radziszewska ‘outed’ the deputy president of the Polish Society of Anti-discrimination Law, Krzysztof Smiszek, as a row broke out between the two on a TV show.

“It’s an open secret who Mr. Smiszek’s partner is,” said Radziszewska.

Later, the minister apologized but claimed that anyone can check Smiszek’s sexual orientation on the internet.

Smiszek, meanwhile, said he is going to sue Radziszewska.

'She should be dismissed'

“Minister Radziszewska should be dismissed immediately,” says Grzegorz Napieralski, leader of the Democratic Left Alliance, adding that his party will send a letter to PM Donald Tusk demanding her resignation.

Radziszewska has also been criticized by her party colleagues.

“It was a tackless statement. Private life or sexual orientation should not be the subject of a public debate, especially for the Plenipotentiary for Equality, who is supposed to fight against discrimination,” said Tomasz Tomczykiewicz from Civic Platform.

Jaroslaw Gowin, one of the more conservative members of Civic Platform, however, has defended Radziszewska, claiming that the left has unleashed a witch-hunt against her.

Today, members of the Women’s Congress will stage a protest against the minister at the Parliament building in Warsaw.

A similar protest organized by the Women’s Party is expected on Monday at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. (mg/pg)

Source: IAR, Gazeta Wyborcza