The Polish government is entertaining new legislation which could see sexual education taught in school and “the promotion of underage sexual activity” become criminalized.
Protesters gathered to demonstrate against the proposal, dubbed the “Stop Pedophilia” law, which could see sexual educators face prison sentences of up to five years if found guilty.
The purpose of the legislation is to “criminalize the promotion of underage sexual activity” suggesting that sexual education teachers “groom and familiarize children with homosexuality,” according to LGBTQ Nation.
Supporters of the legislation wrote in a statement that “The organizations and activists most involved in the promotion of sexual ‘education’ in our country are the LGBT lobby.”
“In Western Europe, members of these movements involved in implementing sex education in schools were convicted of pedophilia,” the document added.
However, Anna Blus, an Amnesty International researcher, called the legislation “outrageous” and “extremely vague and broad,” according to DW.
While decrying the potentially “disastrous effects” of the legislation, Blus added, “this bill will put young people at risk.”
LGBT activist Ola Kaczorek told Reuters: “This would make impossible for us as educators to come into schools and teach kids about humans, about what makes us us, and what’s gender identity or sexual orientation.”
“Usually school is not a friendly environment for non-heterosexual kids, but now it will be even harder,” Kaczorek added.
Poland does not currently have a mandatory sexual education curriculum. Educators, if the proposed legislation is passed, could face up to 3-5 behind bars for teaching sexual education to children as “Children are sexually awakened and familiarized with homosexuality.”
The bill was brought to Parliament through a petition–which would require over 100,000 signatures for the matter to be discussed.
In February, a third of Poland was declared an “LGBT-free” zone according to an “Atlas of Hate” map which had carved up the Central European country.
