A Polish woman has been fined 3,750 euros ($NZ8,000) for harassing a gay neighbor including repeatedly calling him a faggot in public places, in his apartment building and on the street. Others in the small town took up her cry and rocks began to be thrown at the window of an apartment the gay man lives with his male partner. The woman also harassed the gay man by calling the police on made-up charges. After five months' legal action a judge ruled that using the word “faggot” is offensive and that its use violated the man's right to dignity and privacy in this context. A report by Poland's Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) has shown that the level of hate speech against LGBT people remains high in Poland. KPH is currently lobbying to have sexual orientation and gender expression included in the list of grounds which are protected against hate speech in the existing penal code.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 6th August 2009 - 10:34pm