Outed Antigay Twin of Poland's President Wants to Take Over

The twin brother of late Polish president Lech Kaczynski says that he wants to take the helm as the country's leader.

Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski plans to run for president in June to continue his brother's mission for the country.

"The good of Poland is a common duty that requires an ability to overcome personal suffering, to undertake the task despite a personal tragedy," he said in a statement.

Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and 94 others were killed in a
plane crash April 10. The Kaczynskis, along with several top civilian and
military leaders, were en route to a World War II memorial to pay their
respects to the 22,000 Polish soldiers killed in 1940 by Soviet forces in what is known as the Katyn massacre.


Memos that were declassified by the Polish government while Jaroslaw Kaczynski served as prime minister in 2006-2007 show that the secret service was interested in establishing whether he was "in a long-term homosexual relationship, and if so, who his partner is." The investigation of his sexuality began in 1992, because it "could threaten democracy."

Known as the Terrible Twins, the Kaczynski brothers were known for being homophobic; Jaroslaw proposed barring gays from teaching in schools.

In 2008, Lech used the image of a New York couple to condemn homosexuality and marriage equality. During the speech he used the images to stir fears about a European treaty that offers antidiscrimination protections to gays and lesbians, warning that it could open the door to gay marriage in Poland, an overwhelmingly Catholic country.