Children's ombudsman says LGBT activism is unpatriotic

An education superintendent from Łódź, Grzegorz Wierzchowski, was dismissed in mid-August. The decision came shortly after his comment made in an interview for Catholic TV Trwam, where he said that "LGBT virus, ideological virus is way more dangerous" than coronavirus, "as it a virus of social dehumanisation".

Asked on Tuesday about today's former education superintendent's comment, Poland's Commissioner for Children Rights Protection Mikołaj Pawlak said: "I'm willing to agree that LGBT people exist. They do, there is an LGBT community. Indeed, I'm not denying that. But, whether there is an ideology, LGBT ideology, that is being spread around this way or another? This may also hold true".

In his opinion, Wierzchowski "set up two recently most popular words: LGBT and virus". "Is it good? Is it right to speak in this manner? Out of respect to any person, I believe it's not. But, at the same time, the way in which certain ideas are being spread, that aren't compatible with traditionally Polish understanding of, let's say, patriotism, is also not right," Pawlak said.

Asked if, in his opinion, "idea of LGBT" contradicted patriotism, he replied: "When it's represented by such people like, let's say, Michał Sz. or Margot if you like.

"The way of expressing "patriotism" on the eve of September 1, the most important date for millions of Poles, showing the middle finger, spitting on Poland, this contradicts what Poland really is," said the Commissioner for Children Rights Protection. He was referring to a photo of Margot showing the middle finger, and a caption saying "Poland you dick, stop arresting Margot".

The commissioner was also asked about sexual education in schools. "There is sexual education in schools. There is an approved programme, teachers are prepared. This is acceptable. What's unacceptable is infringing in the rules of upbringing, in the rights parents hold with regard to their children," he said.

He stressed that "upbringing belongs to parents, education belongs to the state". "Those are two separate things, let's not mix them up. (...) Education is dedicated to teachers who have appropriate pedagogical skills and knowledge," Mikołaj Pawlak told TVN24.

Former education minister, Krystyna Szumilas, told TVN24 on Tuesday: "I see that the Commissioner has some sort of obsession. He is not safeguarding children, nor does he protect the youth. I wish the Commissioner for Children Rights Protection would take care of children, and stopped being a mouthpiece for the government or some misinterpreted forms of patriotism," she stressed.

She added that the Commissioner for Children Rights Protection "is meant to protect the rights of minorities, to protect children from aggression, no matter the child's beliefs or preferences". "I would like to ask the Commissioner how many times had he stood up to protect vilified children, or those physically assaulted for the colour of their hair?" - Szumilas asked.

The chief of the Left parliamentary club, Krzysztof Gawkowski, said that "the Commissioner for Children Rights Protection has demonstrated many times that he doesn't respect different points of view, he doesn't respect the idea of establishing dialogue".

"The Commissioner in Poland says what he thinks, and he thinks in a way close to Law and Justice (the ruling Law and Justice party), rather than all Polish people. This is a man who closes the door to openness and freedom for children, instead of opening them wide," Gawkowski added.

He also said that "if there's one thing good we could do for Poland, we should make sure Mikołaj Pawlak resigns from office".

Civic Coalition MP Michał Szczerba said that such person as Pawlak "should have never become children's rights ombudsman. "A deeply conservative man, and now we may even say fundamentally ideological".

"He is focused on ideology and stigmatisation of LGBT people. This is really terrible and unacceptable," Szczerba added,