The French MP for European Affairs, Clément Beaune has decided to publicly come out on the eve of a trip to one of the so-called “LGBT-free zones” in Poland.
An almost unexpected action by this French MP who said: “I’m gay. I have no problems in revealing it”, which happened just a little before his trip to Poland, a very homophobic easter European country. The initiative is also linked to its commitment to defending the rights of the LGBT+ community in the rest of Europe.
The message was given to an LGBT+ French magazine, Le Têtu. The minister explained that his homosexuality has never been an obstacle in his political career, and he announced his next visit to one of the Polish municipalities that have declared themselves “LGBT-free“.
“I wouldn’t want people to say I’m fighting ‘LGBT-free’ zones because I’m gay,” Beaune said, “It would be an insult to say that I am leading that battle for myself, however, as Minister of European Affairs, I have an additional responsibility. I have to fight for tolerance“, he added.
In Poland, hundreds of municipalities have declared themselves LGBT-free and some of them have been excluded from a series of EU fundings for this very reason. On the other hand, the Warsaw government, led by the ultra-right-wing Catholics of the PiS, has promised to compensate for the losses of European funds in order to support their battle against the rights of LGBT+ people.
