Source: AP via IHT, Polskie Radio, theNews.pl, UK Gay News, EurActiv
WARSAW, Poland -- A gay couple from New York, Brendan Fay and Thomas Moulton, whose wedding images were used in a recent TV address by Polish President Lech Kaczynski, arrived in Warsaw over the weekend.

"We come here in the hopes of opening a dialogue between a community which may not have had much voice, and that this dialogue will make Poland an even better place," Moulton said after meeting with Ryszard Kalisz, a leader of the leftist coalition in parliament and head of the parliamentary committee on human rights in Poland.

A brief video clip of Fay and Moulton's wedding ceremony was woven into Kaczynski's March 19th televised address.

The video, along with a photo of the couple's marriage certificate, was shown as the president warned against the dangers of adopting the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, which Kaczynski says could open the door to same-sex marriage in Poland.

"The [President’s] TV address misused our wedding images, which were used in such a way as to cause fear and intolerance," Fay said at the Monday press conference. "Our civil marriage was a day of beauty and joy and should not be used to promote intolerance."

Fay, a documentary filmmaker and gay rights activist who was born in Ireland but now lives in New York, and Moulton, a pediatric oncologist, said they prepared a letter for Kaczynski with a request for a meeting.

Kaczynski's office said last week the president was unlikely to meet with the couple.

Since their arrival in Poland –- a trip paid for by the private TVN TV station, many conservative groups have protested, saying that it id a political stunt by the Polish liberal media.

After learning of the president's speech, Fay and Moulton submitted an informal complaint to the Polish Consulate in New York.

"The Consulate General has been kind and cordial in his dealing with us," Fay said.

He and Moulton both said they had been warmly welcomed since their arrival in Warsaw. "We would simply like to say that we are very happy to be here and have felt welcomed since we have arrived," Moulton said. 

The couple spent a whirlwind first day in meetings with members of the Polish LGBT community, including gay rights leaders Tomasz Szypula and Greg Czarnecki from the Campaign Against Homophobia (Kampania Przeciw Homofobii – KPH).

Fay and Moulton said they were eager to get to know about the situation and issues of LGBT people in the East European nation.

The Polish activists showed the couple from New York some major sites in the city such as the former Jewish Ghetto and the Old Town and attended a Catholic Mass in the afternoon.

Later, they had dinner together with one of Poland’s most prominent gay couples Tomasz Raczek, film critic, and Marcin Szczygielski, writer.

“For us this is a journey of friendship and solidarity.  It’s a most unexpected opportunity to share our story and hear the stories of the courageous lesbian and gay community in Poland”, say Fay and Moulton.

Last week a large group of Polish intellectuals signed a letter expressing their embarrassment by the president’s address and assuring the couple of their support.

In a Sunday TV debate, a leader of the ruling Civic Platform said the government is against the legalization of gay partnerships. A leader of the leftist coalition spoke in favor of such a move.

There is, however, little support for same-sex marriage in Poland, a deeply Roman Catholic country that joined the EU in 2004. The Polish constitution states that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

Despite Kaczynski's attempt to scare people with images of the wedding, the country's parliament is expected hold a vote on the treaty during a special session that could take place as early as Tuesday.

Full article: Gay couple from NY featured in Polish president's anti-gay marriage speech visits Warsaw | International Herald Tribune (AP)
Gay marriage couple in Poland | Polskie Radio
Gay couple from New York in Warsaw | Polskie Radio
Media Frenzy at Warsaw Airport for Arrival of Gay American Couple | UK Gay News
Poland strikes deal on EU Treaty ratification | EurActiv