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From Our Own Correspondent: Poland's LGBT Crackdown

25/03/2021

Poland's LGBT Crackdown

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, Poland's LGBT Crackdown

Poland's government tightens the laws further for same sex couples and their families.

Poland's government is seeking to close a loophole which allows same sex couples to adopt children in a further clampdown on their rights.

Rules have been tightening for same sex couples in Poland in recent years.  Civil unions are not legally recognized and same sex couples are barred from adopting children, but a loophole currently allows applicants to adopt as single parents. Now the government wants to close that loophole. Adam Easton has spoken to people affected, some of whom are now considering leaving.

Lebanon's second city, Tripoli, gained notoriety for its anti-government protests in 2019 over the severe economic decline seen across the country. Despite the extreme poverty, and the impact of the pandemic, some of the city’s residents are keen to be part of an economic revival, finds Lemma Shehadi.

In Taiwan, we hear the stories of couples who were married under the traditional simpua system. The practice, where a family would adopt a pre-adolescent girl as a future bride for their son, eventually phased out in the sixties and seventies, largely due to the economic boom. Sally Howard spoke to some of the men and women who married according to the tradition, with mixed results.

On the Greek island of Corfu there’s a small haven set on a hill above the main town – a cemetery set in a well-tended garden, where bougainvilleas, orchids and Cyprus trees line the path … frequented by a few wild tortoises. The long-serving caretaker recently died and is now buried there.  But Julia Langdon visited the garden when he was still alive - he took her for a tour.

In Canada, the authorities have been encouraging people to look after their physical and mental health during the pandemic by getting outside. In Ottawa, this involves winter hikes and cross country skiing - and river surfing, as Sian Griffiths discovered. 

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