Hungary Votes On Amendment To Ban LGBTQ+ Pride: What’s Happening and What’s at Stake

Hungary is set to vote on a constitutional amendment that critics say threatens fundamental rights, targets the LGBTQ+ community, and tightens state control under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government, The Associated Press reported. Here’s all you need to know about what the amendment entails and why it matters:

A Permanent Ban on LGBTQ+ Events?

• Reports suggest the amendment would effectively result in a ban on public events held by LGBTQ+ communities, including Budapest Pride, which draws thousands each year.
• It’s seen as an effort to codify a March law criminalizing events that allegedly violate “child protection” rules, banning the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors under 18.
• Fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546) and facial recognition surveillance may be used to identify and penalize potential violators.

Legal and Constitutional Ramifications

Orbán’s government has claimed that this is to protect children’s development, with the amendment reportedly declaring that “children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any other fundamental right other than the right to life”.

Legal experts, however, have warned that this infringes on Hungary’s constitutional protections of freedom of assembly and expression.

Gender Identity and Biological Definitions

• According to AP, the amendment states, “A person’s sex at birth is a biological characteristic and can be either male or female.”
• The move, in turn, will effectively deny the legal recognition of transgender and intersex people, especially since it builds on earlier laws that banned same-sex adoption and limited LGBTQ+ content in media.
• The UN human rights agency has noted that up to 1.7% of the global population is born with intersex traits, according to AP.

Citizenship Suspension Clause

The amendment enables suspension of Hungarian citizenship, even for dual nationals (outside the EU/European Economic Area) deemed threats to national security or sovereignty, the report said, adding that suspensions could last up to 10 years. The government has claimed that this is a defense against “foreign interference”, especially from NGOs and media it accuses of trying to topple Orbán’s rule.

Critics Call it ‘Fascism’

The ban on Pride sparked mass protests, including road blockades in Budapest, with organizers reportedly writing, “This is not child protection; this is fascism.”

Meanwhile, the opposition Momentum party has planned to blockade the parliament during Monday’s vote, with its post on social media stating: “Let’s collectively prevent them from leading us down the Putin road and depriving us of our freedom.”

International and Human Rights Concerns

• Rights groups including Amnesty International, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, and the Háttér Society have condemned the amendment, with the Hungarian Helsinki Committee calling it “a significant escalation in the government’s efforts to suppress dissent and weaken human rights protection.”
• NGOs too have urged the European Commission to take legal action, claiming that the amendment violates EU law.

What Happens Next?

A vote in this regard is scheduled for Monday and is likely to pass due to Orbán’s two-thirds majority in parliament.

ALSO READ: Ecuador Votes in Presidential Election: All You Need To Know