Ms Grodzka is no stranger to controversy Courtesy of FLICKR/R-A-D-E-K

Despite the rejection of the legislative proposal on same-sex civil unions, the issue of LGBT rights isn’t going away. Last week Civic Platform announced that it would make amendments to its civil partnership legislation and present it to parliament for another vote in the near future.

Perhaps sooner, another controversial gender-related issue might take center stage. Last week, Anna Grodzka’s party, Palikot’s Movement, announced it was offering her the position of Sejm deputy speaker. The party had withdrawn its support for its previous deputy speaker, Wanda Nowicka, after she accepted a controversial bonus for her work in parliament last month.

Traditionally, each party gets one such position, but Ms Grodzka will have to win a majority in parliament before she can take up the post. That will be no small feat. Poland’s largest opposition party, Law and Justice, has already announced it will oppose her nomination.
But Ms Grodzka said she is not afraid of controversy. “That is an element of the work in parliament,” she said. Indeed, Poland’s first transgender MP is accustomed to evoking strong emotions.

During the debate on civil partnerships, PiS MP Krystyna Pawłowicz repeatedly referred to her as “Mr.” “When I see a guy beside me how can I say ‘excuse me Ms?’ You can’t just stuff hormones into yourself and become a woman,” she said.

“The phenomenon of same-sex relationships is against the laws of nature. It is harmful, unjust, and it breaches the rules of equality,” Ms Pawłowicz added.

Anna Grodzka’s party colleagues have since announced that they will take the case to prosecutors because Ms Pawłowicz had employed “hate speech” and “incited violence.”
But when asked if she was sorry for her comments, Ms Pawłowicz replied that she has “nothing to apologize for.”

Remi Adekoya