Polish Education minister and lurch lookalike, Roman Giertych unveiled his controversial education reforms yesterday.
Among his conservative goals, Giertych hopes to pass an overarching ban on any discussion of homosexuality in the classroom. Not because he’s homophobic, of course. He’s simply thinking of the children:
It is only to protect youth from the propagation of views that threaten marriage, threaten family, and threaten the duties of school, which are to prepare one to fulfill family duties and the duties of a citizen.
Though eager to implement his plans, Giertych does not define “propagation”. Rather, he describes potentially prohibited material as “every action that is dependent on the public presentation of a certain belief with the intention of convincing others to that viewpoint.” The nebulous nature of his legislation has raised a few eyebrows.
European Parliament spoke out against Poland’s politics earlier this year, at which point Dutch MEP Kathalijne Buitenweg questioned the nation’s political responsibility: “The disturbing proposals to outlaw discussion of homosexuality raise serious concerns about the commitment to fundamental rights in Poland.” Buitenweg isn’t the only concerned citizen.
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Human Rights Watch has posted a petition urging the Polish government to stop its policies before it’s too late. Head on over and give it a go – the petition will be delivered Saturday, May 17, during the Warsaw Equality Parade.
Mark
He reminds me of Rick Santorum in terms of being young looking and so conservative. It’s a pity that people like Roman Giertych make names for themselves by picking on a group of people. They are nobodies when you take away the controversy they create.