The unity and equality parades have mainly passed and the tourists are all returned home until another year. Nonetheless the Polish LGBT community and others still require guidance and support from their Western brothers and sister. In one of the most egregious examples of how divided the Polish gay community is the president of “Campaign Against Homophobia” Warsaw on 13 June insulted a pioneer of the Polish homosexual suffrage movement and a core principle of Westerner fundamental beliefs of religious tolerance.

The press conference included members of both professional mainstream and gay journalists. Ms. Anna Laszuk of Gazeta Wyborcza asked why Mr. Szymon Niemiec was not among the invited gay activist on the dais.

The comments made by Mr. Robert Biedroń remarks ought to be rejected and denounced regardless of societal disposition by all citizens of democratic republics and those yearning to be free. In our opinion these comments reaffirm our belief that that Biedroń lacks gravitas to be a leader. The transcript follows.

The Future and Strategy Community Conference:

Anna Laszuk: Why is Szymon Niemiec not here?
Robert Biedroń: Because this is how mechanisms works.
Anna Laszuk: But who eliminated him?
Robert Biedroń: The whole community.

Robert Biedron statement:
“Szymon Niemiec was automatically eliminated from the community, because he was strange. He has too many radical beliefs for this community. He went against Catholicism and became a Non-denominational pastor and opened his own church. He (Szymon Niemiec) said at the time, "I will be the manager of my own church, because I don't want to be part of Poland’s Catholic norm. I will create and dream about my own things " and this society eliminated him immediately from community.” Robert Biedroń

Friends of Szymon Foundation Board of Directors statement:

Although Robert Biedron may believe that he ha the authority to excommunicate “believers” he is sadly misguided and mistaken. The Catholic Church (Nor any conservative religion institution) is not now nor never was friendly to homosexuals since the dawning of civilization. It is ironic that in previous published statements Mr. Biedron himself condemned the conservative Polish Roman Catholic hierarchy. It would perhaps behoove Biedron to refresh himself with the history of the world – especially about democratic republics which his fledgling country aspires to emulate. The “reformation” has long since come and gone and from its ashes religious tolerant great republics have formed for example the USA, France, and Italy to name a few.
It is our sincere hope that Mr. Biedron apologizes for his insensitive comment to Mr Niemiec who is undisputedly a visionary who fought – long before– it was chic and acceptable and continues -- for the rights of homosexuals and minorities in Poland. Szymon is a dedicated pioneer and does not require validation by a late-comer “professional homosexual” to the struggles.
If he does not we admonish the unilateral boycotting of finances for “Campaign Against Homophobia “Warsaw. This form of grandstanding and egotistical ranting is unacceptable coming from any leader working for the just cause of human dignity for homosexual’s world.

UPDATE

Immediately after sending out an international press release regarding Mr. Robert Biedron comments the following appeared on the leading Polish portal. The original comments in Polish may be found here. We therefore encourage all our colleagues to aide in these efforts of discriminating this horrible attack by a fellow alleged gay activist upon a gay activist pioneer such as our friend Mr. Szymon Niemiec. We also ask that readers surf the "Friends of Szymon" Foundation's website here and render assistance in letters of support and of course contribution both great and small. Robert Biedron with his false has no substance and the world - especially those contributing from the West ought to be aware of his dispersible behavior and practices.

Editor of Gaylife.pl statement:

Who takes benefits from this?
This is not a first time Robert Biedron shows his arrogance for gay activists. Let’s not forget that Mr. Szymon Niemiec, who is under his attack, was this gay person, who had courage to create the first Equality Parade. Robert Biedron did not found it. When the first Equality Parade marched at streets of Warsaw CAH (Campaign Against Homophobia) didn’t exist. Mr. Biedron doesn’t know how to work with gay media either. The legal staff from Warsaw CAH (Campaign Against Homophobia) has made treats against gay websites who don’t agreed with Mr. Biedron. They expect us to agree with everything they propose without opposition. They have actively worked to intimidate the Polish gay press suppressing our freedom of press, which is a crime in democracy.

The recent display of public homophobic by the priest Trytek who suggested that the public burn gay people at the stakes showed again, who in Polish gay movement truly works for community: It was Mr. Szymon Niemiec who spoke out in opposition to the Polish legal authorities demanding that the priest be prosecuted under Polish hate laws. The very well paid activist Biedroń and his group named Warsaw CAH (Campaign Against Homophobia) at this time had a lot of fun on conference about labor unions and worked on suing gay portals to court.

Destruction work at progress

For no one who truly know the gay community in Poland is not a secret, that in majority this community rejects and condemned Mr. Robert Biedron and some of his friends for their uselessness, arrogance and attacks on other gay leaders. They attacked gay portals, founder of Equality Parade, and also Mr. Lukasz Palucki – ambassador of ILGCN in Poland and coordinator of SDPL for lesbian and gay cases. Sometimes we are wondering who is managing this for years. Who has business in Mr. Biedron activity? Who are using Warsaw CAH (Campaign Against Homophobia) as a façade association collecting money from union funds for fight against homophobia, but in fact working against community and with money from EU attacking gay leaders who really want to do something for community?! Other associations LGBT, like Equality Foundation or Lambda Warsaw, if they even are not ideal, but they don’t have such idiotic symptoms and they don’t provoke conflicts. . So, it is possible to work different.