Ambassadors and diplomats sign open letter in support of LGBTQI+ people in Poland

"We express our support for the efforts to raise public awareness of issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) community and other communities in Poland facing similar challenges," the signatiories said in the letter published to mark this year's International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia.

The authors of the letter stress that "human rights are universal and everyone, including LGBTQI+ persons, are entitled to their full enjoyment". "This is something that everyone should support."

The signatories also "pay tribute to the hard work of LGBTQI+ and other communities in Poland and around the world, as well as the work of all those who seek to ensure human rights for LGBTQI+ and other persons belonging to communities facing similar challenges, and to end discrimination in particular on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity".

The open letter has been signed by the Ambassadors of: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Venezuela as well as the General Representative of the Government of Flanders, the CEO of Wallonie-Bruxelles International, the Representative of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, the Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Poland, the Acting Head of the Representative the European Commission in Poland, Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration, the Secretary General of the Community of Democracies, the Head of Poland and the Baltic States, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Resident Representative in Poland of the World Bank.

Furthermore, the letter has been coordinated by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Poland.

To mark the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia, U.S. Embassy in Warsaw also published a special video.

"Human rights are not an ideology. They are universal and apply to absolutely everyone, regardless of skin color, religion, or sexual orientation," Norway's Ambassador to Poland Anders H. Eide, the coordinator of the letter, says in the beginning of the short film.

Further on in the video, Polish members of the LGBTQI+ community and their relatives share their stories. 30-year-old Natalia from Kalisz says she left Poland for a few years after finishing high school and that she learned "how it feels to live in a country where there are civil unions and queer people can be themselves". Even though she felt at home again upon returning to Poland, Natalia adds that she "also saw how her rights are being restricted".

"I'm Kazik. I'm gay. I'm Christian. This is my village and here is my home," says another person in the film who decided to stay in Poland and "fight for equality here". "I just wish I could be who I am," says Maja from Krapkowice. "I would just like to have equal rights, to be treated equally," she adds.

"I have a lesbian daughter and I'm proud of her. I would not like her to leave this country, (I wish - edit.) she could feel safe here and enjoy the same civil rights as other people do," says Beata from Milicz.

Finally, Norway's Ambassador says the letter and the video were "an expression of our (of the diplomats - edit.) ongoing support for the LGBTQI+ community in Poland, as well as other groups at risk of discrimination". "You have our support."

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia was created in 2004 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex people, and all of those with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.

In Poland, just like in other countries, people not identifying themselves as heteronormative face intolerance and aggression. According to the latest Rainbow Europe ranking by ILGA-Europe, Poland was listed 42nd out of 49 countries of Europe. Poland ranked higher only than countries like Belarus, Russia, Turkey, or Azerbaijan. Malta was ranked 1st for the eight time in a row.