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Outlook: The priest leading the fight for LGBT rights in Poland

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Szymon Niemiec in a crowd wearing rainbow colours and a cross around his neck

09/03/2022 GMT

The priest leading the fight for LGBT rights in Poland

BBC World Service - Outlook, The priest leading the fight for LGBT rights in Poland

How Szymon Niemiec combined his faith and activism to found Poland's first Gay Pride

Szymon Niemiec organised Poland's first Gay Pride march in 2001. Today, his faith and sexuality continue to make him a target.

Szymon Niemiec is a priest and an LGBTQ+ activist who founded Poland's first Gay Pride parade in 2001 - known locally as an 'equality parade'. Growing up in the Polish capital Warsaw, Szymon knew he was gay and at the same time knew he felt a close connection to the Church. But combining his religious belief, his sexuality and his activism was never easy in a predominantly Catholic country, and today it continues to make him a target. 

When blogging started to take off in the mid 2000s, many people were excited about how the internet was democratising debate. Blogs, like personal websites, meant anyone could publish their thoughts and feelings. This included 11-year-old girls, like Tavi Gevinson from the US, whose fashion blog was a big hit. She spoke to Outlook's Saskia Edwards in January 2019. 

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar 

(Photo: Szymon Niemiec. Credit: Janek Skarzynski/AFP/Getty Images)

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