Hungary to amend anti-LGBTQ law to align with EU standards
Hungary’s government has submitted a bill to parliament to change a 2021 child protection law that banned the "promotion" of homosexuality to under-18s. The proposed amendment would remove references to banning the "promotion" or "display" of homosexuality and gender transition to minors and replace them with a standard referring to material that can seriously impair a child's development.
Why It Matters
The move responds to criticism from EU institutions and an April ruling by the European Court of Justice that the 2021 law violated the bloc's core principles; it could also affect measures that previously led to bans on Pride events and restrictions on LGBTQ adoption. Aligning Hungary's rules with EU standards would reshape the legal framework governing media and child protection as they relate to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Key Facts
- Bill submitted to: parliament (submitted on Monday)
- Original law introduced: 2021 (add-on to child protection regulations)
- Original law prohibited: the "promotion of homosexuality" to under-18s
- Used to ban: Pride marches
- European Court of Justice ruling: April — ruled the law violated "the very identity" of the EU
The Hungarian government has proposed an amendment to the 2021 child protection law that forbids the "promotion" of homosexuality to minors. The draft sent to parliament would delete references to banning the "promotion" or "display" of homosexuality and gender transition to people under 18 and instead target material that could "seriously impair the child's physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development."
The 2021 measure, introduced under former leader Viktor Orban, drew widespread criticism across the European Union for stigmatizing LGBTQ people and linking same-sex relations with paedophilia. In April, the EU's top court found the law incompatible with EU principles, a decision that preceded Hungarian police authorizing this year's Pride marches after they had been blocked under the previous government.
Conservative Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who won April's election and ended Orban's 16-year tenure, said the revised rules would apply irrespective of sexual orientation and would align Hungary with EU regulations. He also emphasized a strict approach to media content accessible to minors that promotes sexual violence, manipulation or exploitation.
Magyar added that the government is considering changes to a 2020 law that limited adoption to married couples, a provision that had effectively barred same-sex couples from adopting. The proposed amendments mark a notable shift in Budapest's public policy on LGBTQ issues and appear aimed at addressing legal and political pressure from EU institutions.
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Original source: Al Jazeera