Thousands march
in Warsaw's gay rights parade

Thousands of people marched Saturday in the Polish capital's annual gay rights parade, days after the education minister called for a ban on the ''propagation of homosexuality'' in Poland's schools.

About 5,000 demonstrators marched from parliament through downtown, amid a heavy police presence, led by a truck festooned with red, blue, green, and purple balloons and blasting strains of loud music. Some marchers carried placards reading ''Stop homophobia,'' while others toted rainbow flags, a symbol for gays worldwide.

''This was the largest parade we've held in Poland,'' parade organizer Tomasz Baczkowski said. ''Polish society has opened its eyes, and they know what democracy, equality, and diversity mean.''

The Equality Parade comes as an increasingly vocal gay rights movement faces off against conservative leaders who have openly denounced homosexuality. Homosexuality largely remains taboo in predominantly Catholic Poland and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, and activists are up against a widespread belief that it is a perversion.

In past years gay rights rallies in Warsaw and the western city of Poznan resulted in violent clashes, but no incidents were reported Saturday. On Wednesday education minister Roman Giertych called for a ban on the ''propagation of homosexuality'' in the country's schools, a plan that he argues would protect traditional family values. Giertych--who leads the ultraconservative League of Polish Families, a junior partner in Poland's governing coalition--insisted his proposals ''do not discriminate against anyone.''

''It is only to protect youth from the propagation of views that threaten marriage, threaten family, and threaten the duties of school, which are to prepare one to fulfill family duties and the duties of a citizen,'' he said.

Robert Biedron, head of the Campaign Against Homophobia, called the proposals ''terrifying.''

''They don't only rape the constitution but also violate the basic norms of the European Union, such as pluralism, tolerance, and democracy,'' Biedron said after the march.

Giertych unveiled his proposal less than a month after the European Parliament passed a resolution sharply criticizing senior Polish officials for declarations ''inciting discrimination and hatred based on sexual orientation.'' Marcher Witold Serafin, 30, argued that ''there is no equality'' for gays in Poland but added that discrimination is slowly tapering off, thanks to the attention politicians like Giertych draw to the issue.

''The more politicians fight against homosexuality, the more regular people seem to accept it,'' Serafin said.

The far-right All-Polish Youth, the official youth wing of the League of Polish Families until late last year, held a small counterdemonstration nearby with placards reading ''Homo go home.''

Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski's socially conservative government has made defending traditional Roman Catholic values a cornerstone of its platform. Kaczynski's twin brother, President Lech Kaczynski, refused to grant parade permits for gay rights marches while he served as mayor of Warsaw. (Ryan Lucas, AP)