Over 60 percent of Poles would not mind having a gay or lesbian president or city mayor, according to a new survey.
The poll, conducted by the Gemius pollster for the Polish version of Newsweek, finds that around 30 percent believe that homosexuals should be barred from important public posts.
“Poles are slowly learning to separate the public and private sphere of life,” says sociologist Slawomir Sowinski. He points out, however, that tolerance declared in surveys is not automatically translated into election choices of Poles.
Politicians seen with a wife and children still have much bigger chances to win. Robert Biedron from the Campaign against Homophobia holds a similar views. “If Poles really had nothing against homosexuals in high posts, then gays in the Polish Parliament would not have to stay in hiding,” he says. (kk)