Jul 31, 2007News: British Youth To March At Brighton Pride For LGBT Rights In Poland
By vanrozenheim
As part of Brighton Pride, friends and supporters of the British Youth Council (BYC) will be marching from Madeira Drive to Preston Park on the morning of August 4th, starting at 11.30am. BYC will be handing out postcards to encourage supporters of the Stop Homophobia in Poland campaign to write to Gordon Brown PM voicing their support. Campaigners are asking the UK government to publicly denounce human rights abuses being carried out against the LGBT community by the Polish government. British Youth Council spokesperson, Lloyd Russell-Moyle (20) said: “I welcome this opportunity for BYC to be involved in Pride. BYC’s presence will help to further highlight the plight of the LGBT community in Poland.”
The last few years have seen an erosion of the human rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-sexual community in Poland. Throughout 2005 and 2006 the homosexual community in Poland has been subject to vehement discrimination.
This includes homophobic outbursts by high profile politicians, the banning of Gay pride events and the recent proposal of legislation which will ban discussions on homosexuality in schools and educational institutions, with teachers who disobey facing the sack, fines or imprisonment.
According to its statement, BYC believes that homophobic outbursts and actions by Polish government officials contravene EU and UN human rights documents. The 25 year old BYC chairperson, Kay Ritchie, said: “It is not okay to ignore the threats, discrimination and unlawful conduct of the Polish Government. At the British Youth Council we’ve joined the European Youth Forum and the National Union of Students in denouncing homophobic policies and hate speak. We call on the UK government to do the same.”
British Youth Council is the UK youth council and voice for young people under 26 living in the UK. It represents and involves a coalition of young people through their involvement as individuals or through national (UK), regional or local youth organisations.
