- Title: POLAND: Transsexual elected to parliament for the first time in country's history
- Date: 27th October 2011
- Summary: WARSAW, POLAND (RECENT) (REUTERS) CHAMBER OF PARLIAMENT DEPUTIES VARIOUS OF TRANSSEXUAL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT ANNA GRODZKA (RIGHT) IN HER SEAT VARIOUS OF CATHOLIC CROSS ABOVE DOOR TO INSIDE CHAMBER EXTERIOR OF GRODZKA'S HOUSE VARIOUS OF GRODZKA SITTING AT KITCHEN TABLE WITH REPORTERS GLASSES ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) TRANSSEXUAL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT ANNA GRODZK
- Embargoed: 11th November 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Poland, Poland
- Country: Poland
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA8AT9TH7P9V3YCH53SFDUJWB63
- Story Text: The first transsexual to win a seat in Poland's parliament said she was on a mission to help Poles in this staunchly Roman Catholic country to improve the understanding of problems facing people who have changed their gender.
Fifty-seven year-old Anna Grodzka, is from a newly formed liberal party called Palikot's Support Movement that stunned Poland's staid political establishment by winning 10 percent of the vote in recent elections.
Founded by a former vodka tycoon Janusz Palikot, the party has attracted many younger voters with its support for gay rights, abortion and legalisation of soft drugs and with its attacks on the powerful Roman Catholic church.
"I am in fact the first person in parliament after gender correction, but it's not a reason for glory or to consider myself a pioneer. It's just a reason to be happy because this situation increases my capabilities a lot. For years I have been facing difficulties as I was lobbying for the right to determine gender. Now I will be able to work more directly, although I don't know what the result will be. But I will be able to speak out loud and influence politics through the media and influence this case, or the case of civil unions or generally politics in the sphere that we have discussed here," Grodzka told Reuters.
A graduate in psychology, Grodzka completed her sex change last year. In the election, she won 18,000 votes in a district of Krakow in southern Poland.
"Apart from the conservative, Catholic, nationalist movement represented mainly by the Law and Justice party there are many people in Poland who think in a modern way, think about the future rather then the past, who feel more like Europeans rather than just Poles and this is a huge part of the society. So the stereotype of provincial Poland is suitable for a limited group of people," she said.
Grodzka said that since she has won a parliament seat she had been under constant attack from politicians from rival parties and some media.
"I know that I am under attack, my identity is being attacked. Some politicians, publicists are trying to portray me as strange, as a man, whom I haven't felt like since childhood. And this is not pleasant, but I think it's they who are discrediting themselves," Grodzka said.
Fellow members of parliament were cautious in their comments about the new colleague.
"I think that matters of gender identity or sexual orientation are very private and intimate matters. If someone wants to display them in broad daylight, it's their problem. For me it was always a very private matter, I never asked anybody about it, neither do I peek into people's bedrooms," Jacek Swiat from conservative Law and JUstice party said.
On Warsaw streets, the response from residents of different ages and occupations was similar.
"I am completely fine with this because I think that politicians' private lives should be separated from their work. I think that being a transsexual, she can also be a great politician," said Daria.
"I don't have anything against it. Really," said Warsaw resident Karina.
"I have mixed feelings. On one hand I wonder if this is right, but I think it's tolerable," said engineer Maciej Blasinski.
Grozdka is the head of Trans-Fuzja foundation, established in 2007 in order to support about 1000 transgender people in Poland.
LGBT - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None