Polish translation of Harry Whyte’s „Can a homosexual be a member of the Communist Party?”

As the contradictions of decaying capitalism sharpen, the bourgeoisie renounces its progressive and democratic gains and makes it impossible to fight for new freedoms in order to preserve its class rule.

Since relative overpopulation is a condition for capital accumulation, the capitalist class can resort to drastically pro-natalist policies when the rate of profit falls. This manifests itself in the attack on women’s rights and the accompanying idealization of the family and the consequent ideological attack on the rights of LGBT people.

The question of sexual minorities was not alien to Marxists. This work by the British communist Harry Whyte proves it. It was written in the form of a letter to Joseph Stalin in connection with the recriminalization of same-sex relations in the USSR. In it, Whyte not only defended the rights of sexual minorities, but also offered a historical-materialist explanation of bourgeois homophobia. In order to properly appreciate its significance, it is necessary to know its historical context.