The new Polish Minister for Equality, Katarzyna Kotula officially endorsed the country's first-ever government-backed ranking of schools based on how "friendly" they are towards the LGBTQ+ community.
She posted Monday to X, translated to English, "The Ranking of LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools, which I am my patronage, is starting! This year's slogan is 'School of trust', because Polish schools must be safe, friendly and full of equality and mutual trust."
She continued: "Young people also want an effective response to discrimination and expect equality activities, primarily from schools and universities."
"The aim of the Ranking is to strengthen the voice of students, but also to promote good practices for schools. Young people can take part in the survey and answer questions about the school community's approach to LGBT people, whether there is discrimination, whether anti-violence workshops are organized, and whether teachers support minorities. I strongly encourage you to participate! Let Polish schools be full of trust, equality and respect for human dignity. Let's be like a shield for young people, let's protect young people from discrimination and violence," she concluded.
Her post immediately drew criticism from Polish X users who quickly pointed out the implications of an initiative such as this.
User @Olua_AO wrote: "How long before teachers are ordered to affirm delusions, allow boys to enter girls' bathrooms, soft pressure them to participate in "pride month" celebrations, and so on? Look at the USA, you can clearly see where this is all heading."
According to local media outlets, the 4th national edition of the ranking will be the first to be backed by the federal government and will be held under the patronage of the Ministry of Equality, the Ministry of National Education and the Ombudsman for Children.
Kotula attended a press conference at Prime Minister Donald Tusk's office with the organizers of the initiative, Fundacja GrowSPACE, which translates to Foundation GrowSPACE.
Voting, which will be open to all students, commenced on Monday and will last until April 12. At the end of April, the 10 best rated schools will receive a "School of Trust" badge.
The originator of the Ranking, Dominik Kuc said at the press conference: "This is the first project for the LGBTQ+ community that has received huge support from state institutions.”
