The hateful rhetoric being spewed by some politicians and public figures about the LGBTQ+ community is creating an environment that is putting a target on the backs of that community. This kind of rhetoric dehumanizes the community making it easier to roll back rights as well as emboldening disturbed individuals to act on their hatred and fear.
In yet another tragic attack on the LGBTQ+ community, a car rammed into the crowd during Berlin’s Pride festival on Saturday night killing a woman and injuring 29 people. The event has been held every year since 1979 with hundreds of thousands of people gathering in support of LGBTQ+ rights. Although there have been verbal abuse and violence during previous Berlin Pride events, this is the first deadly attack in the event’s 47 year history. As other Central European countries are pulling back on LGBTQ+ rights and protections, is this a tragic isolated incident or a sign of escalating violence against the community?
In Poland, President Nawrocki vetoed a bill giving more rights to same-sex couples living together. The bill would have allowed two adults to enter into an agreement regulating financial issues, medical information, and end of life arrangements. Although Poland must recognize same-sex marriages registered abroad due to a ruling by the EU’s top court, the government isn’t required to provide equal rights to those couples. Katarzyna Kotula, the government official overseeing equality issues, said “today’s veto of the bill…shows that even the absolute minimum of rights the bill was intended to provide is too much for the president.”
After Slovakia adopted a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and denying any legal recognition to transgender people, thousands of people gathered in Bratislava for the 16th Annual Pride March. Executive Director of the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights, Silvia Porubänová, emphasized the need to stay courageous and “to be visible, to be yourself and to defend your rights.”
