Petrelis Files

600 Polish Intellectuals Apologize

to US Gays For Prez's Homophobia

(Brendan Fay at Warsaw's airport, surrounded by Polish media.)

Lots of news to share today from Poland about US gay couple Brendan Fay and Tom Moulton's visit to Warsaw, but before we get to the news, I have to pose some questions.

When was the last time hundreds of American intellectuals signed a letter opposing the homophobic policies of George W. Bush? What about even dozens of intellectuals collectively standing together for gay equality? I can't recall such things happening here. Is my mind forgetting a recent occasion when American thinkers did something comparable to what Polish intellectuals did this weekend?

Now let's get to the gay news from Poland this morning. From the German Press Agency news wire:

Warsaw - Polish intellectuals publicly apologized Friday to a gay US couple for being offended by the anti-gay propaganda of Polish President Lech Kaczynski. Kaczynski on March 17 used images of the wedding of Brendan Fay and Thomas A. Moulton, a gay couple from New York, in a TV speech warning against gay rights as enshrined in the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights.

According to the paper Dziennik, 600 signatories - among them writer Olga Tokarczuk and sociologist Ireneusz Krzeminski - signed a letter saying they were embarrassed by Kaczynski's speech, assuring the US-couple of their support and solidarity.

Poland's president warned that the adoption the charter by Poland could undermine Catholic morals and strengthen the rights of displaced ethnic Germans. [...]

This story is from the Polish Radio network:

A gay couple from New York, Brendan Fay and Thomas Moulton, whose images were used in a recent TV address by Polish President Lech Kaczynski, have arrived in Warsaw. Brendan Fay is to meet tomorrow with Ryszard Kalisz, a leader of the leftist coalition in the Parliament. He will also address a press conference at the Centre against Homophobia. [...]

In a Sunday TV debate, a leader of the ruling Civic Platform said the government is against the legalization of gay partnerships. A leader of the leftist coalition spoke in favour of such a move.

And finally, TVN 24 Polish News has posted a video of the media frenzy that greeted Brendan and Tom upon arrival at Warsaw's airport. Click here to view the video and read the story, in Polish, about the couple's visit.

Here's an excerpt from the print story, with a quote from Brendan, saying something pro-gay, I'm believe, and translated into Polish:

Brendan Fay i jego mąż przylecieli do Polski. Geje, których wizerunki wykorzystano w prezydenckim orędziu, postanowili wyrazić solidarność z polskimi homoseksualistami. Fay chce także spotkać się z Lechem Kaczyńskim.

- Jesteśmy tu by wyrazić solidarność z gejami i lesbijkami w Polsce oraz ustosunkować się do prezydenckiego wystąpienia - powiedział zaraz po wylądowaniu na warszawskim Okęciu Fay. Jak mówił, on i jego partner chcą zapoznać się z sytuacją homoseksualistów w Polsce i "usłyszeć ich historie". - Chcę także podzielić się z nimi naszą (historią) - tłumaczył. [...]