Out of all the nations of the European Union, and you can roll Britain into this too, Poland has the worst record for gay rights and equality for alternative sexualities. What many consider backwards and based on mythology rather than reality, others want to protect themselves from when God asks them how they promoted a good biblical life. Religious expression is protected, and if someone wants to believe things written by bronze-age theologians from thousands of miles away and apply them to their own lives, they are free to do so. So there is an understandable conflict of interest. People who have natural feelings and no desire to cause harm are given the impression that they are wrong for being who they are. Usually, sins come from extreme emotional responses to hurtful activity or strong desires. Love between two consenting people can’t be put into this label. Whatever you believe, LGBTQ people are here to stay and no amount of prayer or preaching can change the way nature made them. Healing people is about preventing suffering in the patient, not the doctor. 
 
A huge collection of artefacts collected from the LGBTQ rights movement have been gathered and put on display. In pre-Roman Catholic times, homosexuality was not seen as problematic. In fact, the Roman society who inhabited much of Europe during much of the iron age have plenty evidence left over that prove homosexuality was a normal part of society. The need for gay rights therefore had only emerged in post-Christian times, and during their earliest years it was simply too dangerous to argue with the Church. They could legally burn you alive and have crowds gather to insult you while it happened. It makes sense then to find that the earliest example of gay rights material in the Polish exhibition is from the 16th Century.  
 
The story is told from these early examples and is led right up into the 21st Century, where the laws in Poland still do not protect the rights of gay people in consensual relationships. It’s a remarkable step for the Eastern European nation, who have given the green light for the venue and show in the capital city. They’re not trying to hide the struggle at the top. Perhaps it’s the citizens themselves who demonstrate the most confusion as to whether people with different feelings to them have a right to express themselves. Visitors to the museum can expect to find plenty of material that helps build the holistic picture of the gay rights movement in Poland. Letters, photographs, pamphlets, posters, and more. When the opening ceremony happened, two of Poland’s most significant gay rights activists showed up, Andrzej Selerowicz and Ryszard Kisiel. Known for fighting for the cause during Soviet-era Poland, they risked personal danger in speaking out.  
 
The collection is mainly the culmination of the donations of various collectors, including two prominent names. Because of the shadowy nature of the issue in days gone by, many of the evidences and materials have been discarded and destroyed over the years. Usually, there are always one or two people who make an effort to preserve things that may be contentious however remain valuable in the eyes of historians and sociologists.  

​A great book about history and humanity: Roman Homosexuality: Second Edition (any purchase rewards the journal)
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LGBT Veterans of the British Armed Forces are refusing to wear a well-deserved award handed out recently, until “the wrongs have been put right”. It was illegal for people to be homosexual in the UK until the law was changed in 1967 in England and 1980 in Scotland. In 2017, the UK Government issued an official pardon for all those convicted of homosexual activity under these past oppressive laws. The military took a while longer to move on with the times, taking until 2000 to stop banning homosexual people from signing up to serve.  
 
With heavy origins in Christianity, homosexuality has become a symbol for the sins of vanquished Old Testament nations. It wasn’t in the 10 commandments, neither was it mentioned by Jesus or His Disciples, but because it appeared in a few lists of behaviours that resulted in demise, it’s always been seen as wrong by the orthodox. Perhaps, like the other wrongs they mention like eating pork and shellfish, homosexuality was seen as something to be avoided for health reasons. A superstitious people would blame things on God when they had natural causes. We know about disease now, and we must ask if, like eating pork and shellfish, homosexuality can be practiced in safe and proportionate ways.  
 
Being a gay soldier in the time of WW2 was a dangerous time. Not only was the enemy out to kill you, but the state was also out to imprison you as well. Like fighting an evil such as fascism, being gay isn’t something we can simply compartmentalise and walk away from. If you love freedom and you hate being bombed, you’ll do what you can do help. If you love a man and you can’t imagine loving another person, you’ll do what you can to maintain the relationship. This is captured in intimate detail with a new exhibition of audio-art in the village of Oswestry in the West Midlands.  
 
We should be thankful that these correspondences still exist, hundreds of letters between Gilbert Bradley and Gordon Bowsher have been meticulously stored and kept safe for almost a hundred years. The two soldiers wrote to each other at every opportunity and the contents of the letters offers a vast and intriguing picture of the lives that they shared. These and many other similar love letters collected by love-letter enthusiast and artist Megan Hayward have been turned into telephone calls for us to listen to. 
 
Held at the old Yoga Centre until September 28th, visitors are encouraged to visit Megan’s exhibition and romanticise themselves with a drenching of love language from the past. A large variety of stories and communications await, with their vintage being equally as large in range, you can visit the centre during business hours on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.  

If you're interested in collecting old letters complete with their antique stamps, you can find a good selection on eBay. Support Alternative Fruit with any eBay purchase from this link.