Key facts
- Hungary's government submitted a bill to parliament to remove anti-LGBTQ+ rules.
- The proposed legislation would ban materials that could "seriously impair the child’s physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development."
- The bill would also change rules that effectively banned gay adoption.
- The previous government under Viktor Orban banned the promotion of homosexuality and gender change to under-18s in 2021.
- The EU's top court ruled in April that Hungary's restrictions breached EU law.
- Prime Minister Peter Magyar has pledged to repair ties with the EU.
Hungary's new government has submitted a bill to parliament that would repeal anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions implemented by Viktor Orban's previous administration. The proposed legislation aims to remove rules prohibiting the "promotion of homosexuality" to individuals under 18, a measure enacted by Orban's nationalist government in 2021.
Orban's government, which ruled for 16 years before being ousted in an April election, had promoted a Christian-conservative agenda. The 2021 ban on "display and promotion of homosexuality" and gender change in media accessible to minors drew criticism from rights groups and the European Union, though Orban defended it as child protection.
Hungary's new Justice Minister Marta Gorog indicated in May that revisions to LGBTQ+ content restrictions were necessary following an April ruling by the EU's top court. The court found that the restrictions violated EU law and contributed to the stigmatization of gay and transgender people. Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who came to power in April, has committed to repairing Hungary's relationship with the EU and addressing concerns over democratic standards and minority rights.
The draft bill defines banned materials as those that can "seriously impair the child’s physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development," focusing on content related to pornography, sexual exploitation, and manipulation. Magyar also stated on Saturday that his government would alter rules that had effectively prohibited gay adoption. Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited Budapest on Monday, the first such visit in seven years, aiming to restore relations under Magyar's leadership.