OUR LATEST ISSUE
Gay man files complaint against homophobic Polish president
Lech Kaczynski
Outrage after Polish president uses images of gay New York couple to warn nation against same-sex marriage
"Our images clearly were being used in a campaign by the president of Poland against lesbian and gay persons"
A gay New York man has filed a complaint against Lech Kaczynski - the Polish president - after he used images him and his partner in a homophobic national speech.
Kaczynkski showed clips of Brendan Fay's wedding to partner Tom Moulton during a national address, in which the Polish leader warned against the evils of same-sex marriage.
The images - taken from a video of Brendan and Tom's happy day - were used alongside a photo of their marriage certificate. It was all part of Kaczynski's televised anti-gay vitriol and a warning to his nation that adopting the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights is a very, very bad thing indeed.
"An article of the charter, due to no clear definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, may go against the universally accepted moral order in Poland and force our country to introduce an institution in conflict with the moral convictions of the decided majority of our country," said Kaczynski, as images of Brendan and Tom flashed across Polish TV screens.
Roughly translated as, "I don't like gays and neither therefore should you."
Brendan's permission to use said images was, surprisingly, not sought.
"My initial reaction was one of surprise and shock," said Brendan. "I started getting translations of the phrase the president used as the image appeared... I thought, 'Oh my God, what an insult!'
"Our images clearly were being used in a campaign by the president of Poland against lesbian and gay persons, and fostering intolerance and fear among the people of Poland."
Poland, a deeply Catholic country, joined the EU in 2004.
Kaczynski, as mayor of Warsaw, refused to grant permits for gay rights marches. His twin brother and former prime minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, previously said, "It's not in the interest of any society to increase the number of homosexuals."
