Ambassadors to Poland and international organisations worldwide called on Poland to support its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTQ+) community in an open letter published late on Sunday.

The appeal comes as the LGBTQ+ community in the country faces increasing threats from the right-wing government, local communities and the Catholic church, LRT English reported.

Lawmakers and President Andrzej Duda have openly criticised LGBTQ+ communities and accused them of threatening traditional families.

Twenty-one European Union ambassadors signed the letter of support. Estonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia did not. Estonia did not sign a similar letter last year.

In August 2019, Delfi reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) had banned Estonian representatives abroad from supporting taking place in Pride parades when he became foreign minister.

This year's letter of support was coordinated by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Poland.

"We express our support for the efforts to raise public awareness of issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community and other communities in Poland facing similar challenges," it said.

"Human rights are universal and everyone, including LGBTI persons, are entitled to their full enjoyment."

A link to the letter was posted by the U.S. ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher, which can be read below.

Human Rights are not an ideology - they are universal. 50 Ambassadors and Representatives agree. https://t.co/YV4qgkpz54

— Georgette Mosbacher (@USAmbPoland) September 27, 2020

The organizations who signed the letter are listed below:

Ambassadors of Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela.

As well as the General Representative of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region, the General Delegate of the French Community and the Walloon Region, the Representatives in Poland of the European Commission and of the UNHCR, the First Deputy Director/Director's alternate of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Head of Office of the International Organization for Migration and the Secretary General of the Community of Democracies.

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