WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A right-wing, pro-government weekly magazine in Poland has provoked widespread anger by distributing an anti-LGBT sticker.
The outcry began last week when Gazeta Polska magazine said on Twitter it would be distributing “LGBT-free zone” stickers Wednesday featuring a rainbow flag with two black bars across it.
U.S. Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher tweeted she was “disappointed and disturbed.” Opposition politicians condemned the stickers, and distribution points including BP Polska gas stations refused to accept Wednesday’s issue, arguing they were discriminatory.
A debate on LGBT rights is growing in predominantly Catholic Poland ahead of parliamentary elections in the fall.
Conservative government members have spoken against same-sex marriage, but they also condemned violence by radical groups Saturday against the first LGBT rights march in the city of Bialystok.
