Hungary proposes restrictive legislation against LGBTQ+ community, potentially prohibiting Pride events and enabling deployment of facial recognition technology.
Rewritten Article:
Hungary's ruling coalition has intensified its antagonistic stance towards the LGBTQ+ community with the recent submission of a bill to parliament. This bill, likely to gain passage due to the coalition's majority, aims to ban the popular Budapest Pride event and authorize the use of facial recognition technology to identify participants.
The bill will criminalize events that conflict with Hungary's contentious "child protection" legislation, which forbids the portrayal or promotion of homosexuality to minors below 18. Violators face fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546), a sum remitted to supposed "child protection."
This latest move is another in a series of repressive acts against sexual minorities by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's administration. Critics deem these actions intolerant and detrimental to the protected rights of sexual minorities.
The government presents itself as a guardian of traditional family values and casts its opposition to the LGBTQ+ community as a defense against "gender madness." It maintains that its policies are intended to safeguard children from "sexual propaganda."
Hungary enacted the "child protection" law in 2021. The law not only restricts the portrayal or promotion of homosexuality in visual content accessible to minors, such as television, films, advertisements, and literature; it also bars the inclusion of LGBTQ+ issues in school education programs and prohibits public depictions "deviating from sex at birth."
In a previous speech, Orbán alluded to stifling the Budapest Pride event, an annual occasion attracting thousands that celebrates the history and rights of the LGBTQ+ community. This year marks the event's 30th anniversary.
Organizers argue that Orbán's plans to suppress the event violate paramount freedoms of speech and assembly.
Enrichment Data:
Current Status of the Proposed Bill Adopted:
After passing through the Hungarian Parliament with minimal consultation, the bill intended to ban Pride marches including the Budapest Pride event, has been enacted. Set to come into effect on April 15, 2025[1], the law empowers authorities to fine organizers and attendees, up to 200,000 HUF (around 500 EUR) for participating in a forbidden Pride event[1].
Details of the Bill:
The rationale for the bill is rooted in Hungary's Propaganda Law, which prohibits the depiction or promotion of homosexuality to minors. Critics interpret this use of the law as justification for eliminating Pride events based on harmful stereotypes and discrimination[1]. The bill also permits the utilization of facial recognition technology to identify attendees, arousing concerns about privacy and surveillance[1].
Potential Impact on the LGBTQ+ Community:
The proposed ban is seen as a major setback for the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary, eroding hard-earned rights and freedoms. It forms part of a wider pattern of discriminatory measures orchestrated by the Hungarian government, which have been denounced by both domestic activists and international bodies such as the EU[1][2]. The ban might result in increased stigmatization and marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals, limiting their ability to express their identities and engage in public gatherings[1].
International Response:
The European Union has criticized the proposed ban, advocating for the sacrosanct right to peaceful assembly across the EU. The EU Commissioner for Equality, Hadja Lahbib, has voiced support for the LGBTQI community in Hungary and throughout member states[2]. Moreover, billions of euros in EU funds for Hungary remain suspended due to worries regarding LGBTQ rights, among other matters[2]. The EU is urging Hungary to adhere to its obligation to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation[2].
- Thousands are expected to participate in the Budapest Pride event's 30th anniversary celebration before a new restriction bans the event, as Hungary's parliament enacted a law aimed at criminalizing such events, according to the current status of the proposed bill adopted.
- The World is celebrating the milestone of the Budapest Pride event's 30th anniversary, but Hungary, with its ruling coalition's intensified antagonistic stance towards the LGBTQ+ community, has chosen to enact a law that prohibits the event, using criteria from its contentious "child protection" legislation and the Propaganda Law, which critics interpret as a justification for eliminating Pride events based on harmful stereotypes and discrimination.
- Europe has responded critically to the Hungarian government's latest move to restrict the Hungarian LGBTQ+ community, as the European Union, advocating for the sacrosanct right to peaceful assembly across the EU, has expressed concern over the potential impact on the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary, including increased stigmatization and marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals, limiting their ability to express their identities and engage in public gatherings.
