Melanie Chisholm (known as Mel C), the former Spice Girl, was meant to perform for the Polish state broadcaster as a special guest, but told fans on social media that she would no longer make the trip to the Eastern European country.
On Monday, the Spice Girls singer took to Twitter and tweeted,
"In light of some issues that have been brought to my attention, that do not align with the communities I support, I’m afraid I will no longer be able to perform in Poland as planned on New Year’s Eve,” she said.
“I hope to be back there very soon. Hope you’re all having a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for 2023,” added the 48-year-old.
The singer did however not elaborate on what these issues were, but it has been speculated that they relate to mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ peoples in Poland. Chisholm is widely known for her allyship to the queer community, and had previously said that for that reason, she “wouldn’t be comfortable” performing at the recent Qatar World Cup on the basis of the country’s poor record on LGBTQ+ rights.
Numerous of her fans took to Twitter,
one stating, “I guess she’s referring to the Polish government’s homophobic agenda.”
Another chimed in and said, “It’s so important we all stand up for social justice – especially those on the public stage. Thank you Mel C for being one of the good guys and role modeling what it means to have values.”
“So proud of you MelanieCmusic for speaking out about this! LGBTfobia is a fact in Poland and you kept to your principles!” stated another fan.
Poland has a similar stance in relation to the queer community as Qatar's poor record on LGBTQ+ rights, Poland, having recently been found to have the worst protections for LGBTQ+ people in the European Union, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (via SkyNews). Same-sex marriage is not recognised in the country, while some regions have enacted largely symbolic “same-sex free” zones.
Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, has also vowed to ban the teaching of subjects related to the LGBTQ+ community in schools, and prevent same-sex couples from adopting children.
Those praising Mel C's decision against the Poland beliefs, included left-wing Polish politicians Robert Biedron and Beata Maciejewska, who wrote: "Equality is equality. No discussion or compromise."
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