The Poles Of Sexuality Revealed At Warsaw’s Controversial LBGTQ History Museum

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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