Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) has lodged a formal complaint against Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art (MSN), accusing it of promoting child pornography. The controversy stems from the graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, which explores themes of gender identity and sexuality.
The book, available in the museum’s bookstore, has already sparked debates in the U.S. and Australia.
PiS claims that the book was made accessible to children, citing graphic depictions, including a 14-year-old’s sexual fantasies and scenes of masturbation and oral sex. At a press conference, PiS MP Marcin Warchoł condemned the content, stating that “such moral corruption” of children cannot be tolerated.
Although Gender Queer has been on sale in Poland since 2021, it gained wider attention after a January report by the conservative TV Republika network. Warchoł insisted that any material depicting children in explicit sexual acts should be considered child pornography, labeling the book’s display at the museum as “scandalous.”Rafał Trzaskowski, Warsaw’s mayor and a candidate in Poland’s upcoming local elections, also weighed in, shredding the book’s cover during a campaign event.
He decried the museum’s display as a form of “indoctrination” and a violation of children’s rights.This debate is part of the larger ongoing culture war in Poland over LGBT issues. While Trzaskowski and his Civic Coalition Party have supported LGBT rights, including funding for equality groups and attending pride parades, the PiS and far-right Confederation Party strongly oppose LGBT education and same-sex marriage.The PiS’s objection to the LGBT agenda extends to concerns over civil partnerships, arguing that allowing such partnerships could pave the way for same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, the current government coalition has struggled to pass laws for same-sex civil unions, though they have expanded hate crime legislation to protect LGBT individuals.
