Polish Anti-LGBT Stance May Scare Investors, U.S. Envoy Says

(Bloomberg) -- Poland’s hostile policy toward LGBT groups may have negative impact on investment and military decisions by foreign partners, the U.S. ambassador to Warsaw said.

Georgette Mosbacher said in an interview published on Tuesday that some entrepreneurs are “worried,” especially those from the IT and movie industries, by Poland’s recent negative shift on LGBT issues. U.S. military decisions could also be affected, she said.

“I fully respect that Poland is a Catholic country, but you need to know that, regarding LGBT, you’re on the wrong side of history,” Mosbacher told the Wp.pl website. “Using this type of rhetoric alienates Poland and impacts business decisions.”

The interview comes after the ambassadors of 50 countries to Poland expressed concern about political attacks on the minority in a letter to the government released on Sunday.

The ruling party has repeatedly attacked LGBT groups to woo voters in the staunchly Roman Catholic Poland. President Andrzej Duda even signed a family-values declaration, vowing to “protect children from LGBT ideology” and prohibit its spread to public institutions. A third of Poland’s counties have declared themselves as LGBT-free zones.

“My task as an ambassador is also to support sexual minorities, and it’s a constant element of U.S. policy,” Mosbacher said. “Both presidential candidates agree on this issue. It’s worth taking into account.”

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