Hungarian government clamps down on Pride march, citing ‘child protection’ reasons

The Hungarian government is clamping down on the country’s annual Budapest Pride parade, which has been running for almost 30 years, saying that it should not “dominate public spaces” – citing what it claims are “child protection” issues.

Gergely Gulyas, the chief of staff for Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, made the remarks at a government information session Thursday, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s International Communications Office.

While Gulyas did not spell out what the clampdown would involve, he also announced changes to the country’s constitution, which will include amending the definition of gender to be “biologically male or female,” and enshrining in law “that a child’s right to physical, mental, and moral development takes precedence over all other considerations.”

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Gulyas said the Pride should be held in a “closed venue” this year rather than processing along an avenue in central Budapest as in previous years.

“This is autocracy laid bare,” Ghoshal said. “Claims regarding child protection are pure lies, aimed at manipulating the public into accepting the relinquishing of human rights for all.”

“Queer, trans, and intersex children exist – and experience extreme violence and discrimination,” she continued. “If Orban is acting on behalf of Hungary’s children, he can’t pick and choose. The best way to ensure children’s healthy development is to acknowledge science, listen to children, and strive to truly leave no one behind”

Orban’s government has long cited child safety as a reason for undermining LGBTQ+ rights in the country. In 2020, Budapest effectively barred same-sex adoption, with Orban’s office saying at the time that the move strengthened “the protection of Hungarian families and the safety of our children.”

A year later, the country banned the distribution of content related to gender change or homosexuality to under 18s. The European Commission said at the time that the law violated “a number of EU rules,” as well as “human dignity, freedom of expression and information.”

In 2022, the commission referred Hungary to the EU’s Court of Justice for the ban, which it said “discriminates against people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

At Orban’s State of the Nation address on Saturday, he said that Hungary “must not yield – we must not give up on protecting our children.”

“I advise the Pride organizers that they should not bother preparing for this year’s parade. It would be a waste of time and money,” he said.

The same day, Budapest Pride said in a statement that it is already organizing its 30th pride march, which will be held in June. The march’s organizers said that “attacks” on the LGBTQ+ community by those in power are “nothing more than political theater – the ruling party is using the LGBTQ community for its own gain.”

Karácsony will attend a pre-planned meeting with the organizers of Budapest Pride on Friday, the press office said. Though it was originally meant to discuss operations, the meeting has now “taken on a new meaning in the current situation, following the Hungarian Government’s campaign against Pride,” it added.

The slogan of this year’s march will be “We are home,” the organizers said, adding that there have been “countless” attempts to ban the march over the years, which have all failed.

“In the end, Pride is a demonstration, whether with twenty people or tens of thousands, but it will happen,” the statement said. “We’re not just fighting for the Budapest Pride March or the LGBTQ community – we’re fighting for the right of all Hungarians to protest, speak their minds, and stand up for themselves.”