Linus Lewandowski, founder of Homokomando, a human rights activist and obstacle-race enthusiast, is also a member of the Bolesławiec-based boleslawianie.eu association. He came to the Ceramic Festival to take part in two events: a ceramic parade, part of which was organized by the association, and a ceramic obstacle race. He was accompanied by Witold Chudy, who lives near Bolesławiec.
– The race was very enjoyable – said Linus Lewandowski, who took part in it. – We ran it for fun, not for the result – he added.
The 3-kilometre route included 15 demanding obstacles, which had to be completed twice. They were a real challenge for the participants, testing their fitness, strength and perseverance. Among the obstacles, those involving clay slip were a particular attraction, referring to the city’s ceramic traditions. These unusual difficulties gave the race a unique character and were a genuine test for the participants.
The history of Homokomando
Homokomando is an association of people who want everyone to be able to live life to the fullest in Poland. They defend the rights of LGBT+ people, women’s rights and the rights of all minorities. They bring the rainbow wherever it is missing.
When, on 22 October 2020, Julia Przyłębska issued a column condemning pregnant people to torture, women took to the streets. The police tried to suppress the protests. Homokomando blocked the police and protected people from arrest. They led the crowd in a way that avoided police cordons. They stood between police officers and protesters and were repeatedly hit with tear gas.
Homokomando shows that the rainbow also means courage – and that we care about everyone’s rights, not just our own interests.
They were the ones on the front line during the Women’s Strike, defending protesters from police aggression. They protested against PiS attacks on LGBT+ people. They were attacked by nationalists in Gdańsk – but they did not give up and organized the Gdańsk Equality Run a week later. They laid a rainbow bouquet on the anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. And they asked Tusk when a boy would finally be able to marry a boy.
Become a Homokomando member!
Anyone can become a Homokomando member. There is one condition: involvement in Homokomando’s activities, that is, work for human rights and local rainbow communities. How you do it is up to you.
You can join Homokomando at protests and equality marches. You can come to a training session or a bike ride. You can volunteer at the Equality Run. You can take our photos or help create promotional materials. Have another idea? Great!
The faces of Homokomando are: Linus Lewandowski, Małgorzata Büthner-Zawadzka (doctor of humanities and author of the book “Women and LGBT People Together for Equality”), Cyrl Wilczyński, Grzegorz Rokicki and Marcin Lewandowski.