Hungary’s Far-Right Government Has Banned Pride In The Latest Attack Against The LGBTQ Community
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán told Pride organizers to “not bother preparing for this year’s parade”.
Hungary has announced Budapest Pride, the annual LGBTQ pride parade usually held in July, “will not take place in a public form” this year.
The announcement comes after Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán told Pride organizers to “not bother preparing for this year’s parade” as “it would be a waste of time and money” during a press conference on Feb. 22.
The government’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, told journalists the Pride march “should not be tolerated by the country” given that the US ambassador, who usually joined the march, would no longer lead it, according to France24.
He also said the march is essentially banned in public and it is an effort to “protect” children, according to Politico.
Organizers said they will continue organizing for this year’s Pride march.
Organizers and human rights organizations have said the ban violates the rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.
“It’s nothing more than political theater—the ruling party is using the LGBTQ community for its own gain. But we refuse to be anyone’s scapegoat,” organizers said in a statement.
In 2021, Hungary passed an anti-LGBTQ law that banned LGBTQ content for children to “protect” them.
The government has also banned gay couples from adopting children and stopped legally recognizing gender changes, even for transgender people.
Human rights groups have said Orbán’s government campaign against LGBTQ people has “increased stigmatization and negative stereotyping”, according to Amnesty International.
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Wendy Chuang
Wendy Chuang
Sofia Hou
