At 13:00 CET, thousands of people from around Europe will march through the streets of Warsaw, participating in the EuroPride 2010 parade.
The parade, held for the first time ever in a Central European country, has been the topic of a heated debate in Poland, a country whose population consists of 52 percent regular Catholic Church goers.
“We want to show our presence and say, loudly, that every single person has equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference. We are asking for the legalization of same sex partnerships, realistic sexual education and condemnation of hate speech,” says Adam Biskupiak, deputy head of the Equality Foundation, the organizers of the parade.
Not all in Poland are, however, pleased that the capital city has been chosen to host this year’s EuroPride event and several counter-demonstrations have been announced.
“Pedophiles are trying to desensitize us by expounding their deviant behaviour. Today they are organizing parades, tomorrow they want to legalize same-sex marriages and the next day they will demand the right to adopt children. We cannot allow this,” writes Katarzyna Stepkowska, a representative of the conservative, Catholic youth organization, Krucjata.
The parade is expected to draws thousands of visitors from around Europe – from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the UK and from the US. However, one important guest will be missing: Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the mayor of Warsaw is out of town on holiday. Gronkiewicz-Waltz did, however, sign permits to allow the parade to take place.
The parade is to start at 13:00 CET from Plac Bankowy and finish up at Plac Konstytucji. Earlier in the day, from 11:00 CET-12:00CET, a Grunwald March, organized by the nationalist All Polish Youth Organization is to take place, following a similar parade route.
The EuroPride 2010 event is organized by the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA), a network of European Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Pride organizations that work together to organize various marches, social and cultural events throughout the continent. This year marks the first time a central-eastern European city has hosted the event, which launched in London in 1992 and was last held in Zurich in 2009. (mmj)
Source: Naszemiasto.pl, Krucjata.org.pl, Europride2010.eu
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