BUDAPEST — Hungary's government submitted a bill to parliament on Sept. 14 to amend 2021 regulations restricting LGBTQ content for minors, a reversal of policies under former nationalist leader Viktor Orban.
The original 2021 legislation, enacted under Orban's 16-year tenure, prohibited the display or promotion of homosexuality to individuals under 18 years old and was used to prevent Pride marches.
European Union leaders and human rights advocates criticized the 2021 law for stigmatizing LGBTQ individuals and linking same-sex relationships with child abuse.
The new bill would remove direct references banning the "promotion" or "display" of homosexuality and gender transition to minors. Instead, it would refer to any material that can "seriously impair the child's physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development."
Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who took office in April following his Tisza party's election victory, said the amended rules would apply "regardless of sexual orientation." He stated the changes aim to bring Hungary's laws into compliance with EU regulations while maintaining "an uncompromisingly strict stance against media content accessible to minors that promotes sexual violence, manipulation and exploitation."
In April, the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest tribunal, ruled that the 2021 Hungarian law violated "the very identity" of the bloc. Following that decision, Hungarian police authorized Pride marches in the country this year, reversing the previous prohibition.
Magyar also indicated his government is considering modifications to a 2020 law that limited adoption rights to married couples, effectively preventing same-sex couples from adopting children.
