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| - The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution declaring the EU an "LGBTIQ Freedom Zone" in a symbolic rejection of local authorities in Poland labelling themselves "LGBT ideology-free zones". The declaration was backed by 492 lawmakers, while 141 voted against it and 46 abstained. German MEP Terry Reintke, one of those who put forward the resolution, hailed the "overwhelming majority" supporting it. "Let's use it. Let's put it into concrete political action: Better laws, better enforcement, better protection," she wrote on Twitter. "Together we can do it." The vote was the latest rebuff by Brussels to a string of local authorities across Poland declaring themselves free from so-called LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) ideology over the past few years. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had already backed the move ahead of the debate in parliament. "Being yourself is not an ideology. It's your identity. No one can ever take it away," she wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "The EU is your home. The EU is a #LGBTIQFreedomZone." Von der Leyen last year insisted that the so-called LGBT-free zones had "no place in our union" and backed the refusal of EU grants to areas that made such declarations. She also vowed to push EU member states to recognise adoptions by same-sex couples across the bloc. Poland's populist government has compared the struggle for equality to communism in terms of the alleged threat it poses to national values. Thursday's resolution said that "since March 2019, over 100 regions, counties and municipalities across Poland have adopted resolutions declaring themselves free from so-called LGBTI ideology or have adopted 'Regional Charters of Family Rights'" that lead to discrimination. Several of the local authorities have since withdrawn their declarations following court actions and international pressure. The resolution did not only focus on Poland but also criticised alleged discriminatory legislation and practices across the 27-nation bloc. "While LGBTIQ persons in Poland face systematic discrimination, this is also an issue across the EU, with little to no progress being made in alleviating the persistent discrimination against and harassment," it said. alm/del/rmb/kjl
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