2024-02-13 17:32:00
Wojciech Szelag, a Polish journalist, publicly apologized this Sunday for homophobic, transphobic and violent remarks towards the LGBT+ community that were broadcast on television for years in Poland. The footage took place shortly following the country’s election of new Prime Minister Donald Tusk, HuffPost reports.
A sign of a change in mentality, two LGBT+ activists were invited to the public channel TVP Polonia that day – a first in eight years. The presenter wanted to apologize to the entire community before starting the interview with his guests.
Today, first time in Polish TV, following 8 years of right-wing government, the LGBT+ activists appeared in live broadcast. I was seating there and heard journalist shaking voice. He made an apology following years of portraying LGBT-people a threat to Polish nation in the same studio.… pic.twitter.com/kOjzKrRHPf
— Bart Staszewski (@BartStaszewski) February 11, 2024
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Apologies appreciated
“For years in Poland, shameful comments have been made once morest people simply because they chose to own who they were and who they loved,” said Wojciech Szelag. “The LGBT+ community is not an ideology, it is people, names, faces, loved ones, friends. And there’s one word all these people should hear: sorry. Now is the time for me to apologize. THANKS. »
These words touched the two activists present. “Words have power,” said one of them, Bart Staszewski, on X (ex-Twitter) following the interview. “For years propaganda stole our dignity, today words of apology allow us to move forward. »
Public apology requested
In Poland, the policies of the former government were strongly marked by homophobia. “Zones without LGBT ideology” had notably been created and this discrimination was reflected in media choices, with the absence of LGBT+ people on television and the broadcast of comments tending to say that the LGBT+ community was dangerous.
Activist Bart Staszewski then said he would like to hear a similar apology from the new prime minister. According to him, it would be normal for the new leader to apologize for the errors and choices of his predecessor: “He would not only gain enormous international recognition, but would also show that he is above political calculations. »
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