Katarzyna Agata Kotula (born 1 February 1977) is a politician, teacher, and social activist. From 2019, she is a member of Sejm of Poland, and from 2023, she holds the office of the Minister of Equality. She is a member of the New Left pollical party, and one of the leaders of the All-Poland Women's Strike movement.
Katarzyna Kotula | |
---|---|
![]() Kotula in 2022 | |
Minister of Equality | |
Assumed office 13 December 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Donald Tusk |
Preceded by | office established |
Member of the Sejm | |
Assumed office 12 November 2019 | |
Constituency | |
Personal details | |
Born | Gryfino, Poland | 1 February 1977
Political party | |
Children | 1 |
Education | Adam Mickiewicz University |
Occupation |
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Biography
editKatarzyna Kotula was born on 1 February 1977 in Gryfino, Poland.[1] Her father moved to Berlin in 1980, with the rest of the family following him later on. She returned to Poland with her mother and brother in 1986. Years later, her family moved back to Germany.[2]
As a child, she played tennis, and by the age of 13, she begun training in the club Energetyk Gryfino. As stated in 2022, there she was sexualy molested by her trainer, Mirosław Skrzypczyński, member and future chairperson of the Polish Tennis Association.[3] Later, for a few years Kotula has lived in Utah, United States, where she attended highschool, and was hosted by a local family.[2]
In 2016, Kotula had graduated from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, with a master's degree in English studies. For about 20 years, she was a teacher and an owner of a private schoold of English in Gryfino.[4] She was also a teacher in a public school.[5]
She has participated in the Women's Congress, political and social movement for women's rights, and took part in the founding of the Jesteśmy social committee of the caretakes of disabled people.[6][7] Kotula is one of the leaders of the All-Poland Women's Strike movement, and its activist in Grifino.[8] She is also a member of the association Spójnik.[9]
In 2019, she was involved in the formation of the Spring left-wing party, and became its local coordinator in Grifino.[4] She has unsuccessfully candidated in the 2019 European Parliament elections from the Lubusz and West Pomeranian constituency, in which she had received 3,143 votes.[10]
In the 2019 parliamentary election, Kotula had successfully candidated to be a member of the Sejm of Poland. She run from the mandate of the Democratic Left Alliance in the constituency no. 41 consisting of the western portion of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. She had received 7,557 votes.[11] She became deputy chairperson of the Commission of the Member of Parliament Matters and Immunity, and a member of the Commission of Social and Family Politics.[1] In October 2020, she became spokesperson of the Spring.[12] In June 2021, her party was incorporated into then-established New Left, and in November of that year, she became the co-chairperson of the party division in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.[13] She was re-elected for the Sejm in the 2023 election, this time running from the constituency no. 25 consisting of the eastern portion of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. She had received 33,122 votes.[14] She became chairperson of the Commission of Social and Family Politics.[15]
On 12 December 2023, Prime Minister Donald Tusk had nominated her to the office of the Minister of Equality.[16] She was appointed the next day by President Andrzej Duda.[17] In January 2024, she became member of the Social Dialogue Council.[18]
Private life
editKotula is in an relationship with a male partner with whom she has one daughter.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Posłowie IX kadencji: Katarzyna Kotula". sejm.gov.pl (in Polish).
- ^ a b c "Po co głosować na Lewicę? – pytamy Kotulę. 'Bo jesteśmy mądre i wkurzone. I nie mamy Giertycha'". oko.press (in Polish). 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Katarzyna Kotula: Prezes PZT to seksualny predator. Krzywdził mnie, gdy byłam dzieckiem". wiadomosci.onet.pl (in Polish). 21 November 2022.
- ^ a b Alicja Wirwicka (15 October 2019). "Katarzyna Kotula wchodzi do Sejmu. Kim jest posłanka?". szczecin.onet.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "ZSO Gryfino – Nauczyciele". zsogryfino.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Katarzyna Kotula". mamprawowiedziec.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Katarzyna Kotula – kadencja 2019–2023: poseł w: okręg nr 41 (Szczecin)". wnp.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2021-10-23. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Andrzej Kraśnicki (14 October 2019). "Wybory parlamentarne 2019. Jak głosowano na Lewicę? Strajk Kobiet będzie miał posłankę". szczecin.wyborcza.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Katarzyna Kotula współprzewodniczącą Nowej Lewicy". spojnik.eu (in Polish). 19 November 2019.
- ^ "Komitet Wyborczy Wiosna Roberta Biedronia – wyniki kandydatów". europarlament.pap.pl (in Polish). 27 May 2019.
- ^ "Wybory do Sejmu i Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 2019". sejmsenat2019.pkw.gov.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Katarzyna Kotula rzeczniczką prasową partii Wiosna". wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Nowe władze Lewicy w Zachodniopomorskiem". prk24.pl (in Polish). 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Wybory do Sejmu i Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 2023". sejmsenat2023.pkw.gov.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Posłowie X kadencji: Katarzyna Kotula". sejm.gov.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Druk nr 96: Przedstawiony przez Prezesa Rady Ministrów wniosek w sprawie wyboru członków Rady Ministrów" (PDF). orka.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish). 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Prezydent powołał Premiera oraz Radę Ministrów". preztdent.pl (in Polish). 13 December 2023.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Karolina Gawot (30 January 2024). "Prezydent powołał ministrów do Rady Dialogu Społecznego". wydarzenia.interia.pl (in Polish).
External links
editMedia related to Katarzyna Kotula at Wikimedia Commons