Kaja Godek

Kaja Godek is a Polish ultra-conservative[2][3] activist and leader of the foundation Życie i Rodzina ("life and family"). She proposed a law against abortion (Stop aborcji) in 2013[1] and a law against LGBT marches (Stop LGBT) in 2021.[4] The anti-abortion proposal did not pass the first parliamentary reading[5] while the anti-LGBT proposal did and is to be worked on by parliamentary committees.[6] Presenting her anti-LGBT project in the lower house of Poland's parliament (the Sejm), Godek claimed that LGBT activists pay children to attend their parades.[7]

Kaja Godek
Photo of Kaja Godek in 2019; wearing mid-length hair, glasses without rim, grey suit jacket
Godek in 2019
Born1982[1] (40–41 years old)

In 2016, she registered the Życie i Rodzina foundation.[1] YouTube blocked the account of said foundation in 2019 for inciting hate.[8] In 2019, Godek ran for the European Parliament for the far-right Confederation Liberty and Independence, but failed to obtain a seat.[9][10]

Anti-abortion proposal

In 2013, Kaja Godek proposed a ban on the abortion of fetuses with genetic defects or a high probability thereof. She equated abortion with killing babies. The proposal was discussed in the Sejm after gathering sufficient signatures, and rejected at the first hearing.[11]

Anti-LGBT positions

In 2018, Kaja Godek called gay people perverts on live TV (Polsat),[10][12] leading to a defamation lawsuit which was dismissed by the court,[13][14] because she supposedly had not addressed the gay plaintiffs directly.[15] This ruling was overturned later by a higher court, meaning Godek faces another trial in 2022. In 2018, Godek also called Leo Varadkar, a gay Irish-Indian politician and at the time Taoiseach (head of government) of Ireland, a pervert.[16]

In 2019, Godek declared that gay people want to adopt children to rape and molest them.[17] In 2021, Godek told Bart Staszewski, an LGBT rights campaigner, that he abuses children and that he disgusts her, which led Staszewski to file a libel suit.[18][19]

Godek's 2021 proposal Stop LGBT would ban LGBT marches. It was supported by the Polish Catholic Church[20] and gathered 140,000 signatures, surpassing the 100,000 required for a Sejm debate.[21][22] The bill was debated in the first of three readings[23] on 29 October 2021, and passed to the next stage with 235 yes votes (205 no votes, 1 abstention).[24] Said stage consists in the bill being discussed by parliamentary committees. The German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel called it "questionable" whether the proposal would return to parliament from there before the 2023 parliamentary election, and come into force. It added that "many experts" doubt that the law is compatible with European Union law.[6]

Polish law does not protect LGBT people against discrimination, except in the field of employment[25] (See: LGBT rights in Poland). In this context, it is difficult to legally condemn Godek's and her campaign's hate speech, as Polish LGBT activists were only able to reach for defamation laws.

Anti-vaccine stances

Godek claimed in September 2021 that aborted fetuses were used to produce vaccines.[1][26]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kaja Godek.
  1. "Ustawa "Stop LGBT" to jej inicjatywa. Od lat walczy z aborcją. Kim jest Kaja Godek?". Onet.pl (in Polish). 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  2. "Polish Parliament Defers Final Vote on Controversial Abortion Bill". Statecraft. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  3. Gwiazda, Anna (2020-09-08). "Right-wing populism and feminist politics: The case of Law and Justice in Poland". International Political Science Review. 42 (5): 580–595. doi:10.1177/0192512120948917. ISSN 0192-5121. S2CID 225245173.
  4. "Polens Parlament spricht über Gesetz zum LGBT-Demo-Verbot". Die Zeit. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  5. Piątkowska-Borek, Anna (2020-10-28). "Kim jest Kaja Godek? Kiedy związała się z ruchem pro-life?". Wirtualna Polska (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  6. "Polnisches Parlament stimmt für Anti-LGBT-Gesetz". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). 2021-11-02. ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  7. Czarnacka, Agata (2021-10-29). "Obrzydliwy spektakl w Sejmie. Kai Godek na pewno nie chodzi o dzieci". Polityka (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  8. "YouTube zablokował konto fundacji Kai Godek. Za treści podżegające do przemocy". Wprost (in Polish). 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  9. "Wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego 2019". pe2019.pkw.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  10. "Kaja Godek nie nadzoruje już Warszawskich Zakładów Mechanicznych". Gazeta Wyborcza. 2019. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  11. "Jak lwica walczyła o zakaz aborcji w Sejmie. Kim jest Kaja Godek?". TVN24 (in Polish). 30 September 2013. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  12. News, Polsat (30 May 2018). "Kaja Godek: Irlandia to nie jest kraj katolicki, a jeżeli ktoś jest homoseksualistą, jest zboczony - Polsat News". polsatnews.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-01. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. Bogdańska, Katarzyna (2018-10-11). "Kaja Godek nazwała osoby homoseksualne "zboczonymi". Jest pozew". wiadomosci.wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  14. News, Polsat (12 January 2021). "Godek wygrała w sądzie z aktywistami LGBT. Chodzi o słowa wypowiedziane w Polsat News - Polsat News". polsatnews.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-01. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. Kaczynski, Piotr Maciej (2021-10-21). "Poland, a LGBT-free zone?". www.euractiv.com. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  16. Berlin, Derek Scally. "Polish campaigner faces second trial over comments about perversion and Varadkar". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  17. "Godek: Geje chcą adoptować dzieci, bo chcą je molestować i gwałcić". Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  18. Polska, Grupa Wirtualna (2021-10-28). "Bart Staszewski idzie na wojnę z Kają Godek. "Spotkają ją konsekwencje"". o2.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  19. Polska, Grupa Wirtualna (2021-10-26). "Godek przyłapana. Zanim pojawiło się nagranie, wszystkiemu zaprzeczała". o2.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  20. Hassel, Florian (29 October 2021). "Polen: Hassreden gegen die LGBT-Community im Sejm". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  21. "Projekt ustawy "Stop LGBT" po pierwszym czytaniu w Sejmie. W piątek głosowanie". TVN24 (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  22. "100 tysięcy podpisów, czyli jak obywatele robią ustawy". ngo.pl (in Polish). 11 January 2016. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  23. "Legislative procedure". Sejm. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  24. "Druk nr 1607". Sejm. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  25. See: Labour Code Art.18 (3a); PDF File
  26. ""Dzięki, że to pokazujecie!" Kolejny Różaniec w Toruniu". Fundacja Życie i Rodzina (in Polish). 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
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