Thousands of LGBT supporters marched in the annual Budapest Pride Parade on Saturday, angering Hungary’s right-wing government policies, flooding the streets of the country’s capital.
Organizers expected a record number of people at the event in March and called on participants to express their opposition to the recent measures taken by the populist prime minister Viktor Orban’s government. Critics say critics Said that the measure is a stigmatization of sexual minorities in Central European countries.
Budapest Pride spokesperson Jojo Majercsik said that this year’s parade is not only a celebration and commemoration of the historical struggle of the LGBT movement, but also a protest against Orban’s current policies against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and queer people.
“A lot of LGBTQ people are scared and feel that they no longer have a foothold or a future in this country,” Majercsik told The Associated Press.
The march took place after the Hungarian Parliament passed a controversial law in June that prohibits showing to minors depictions of homosexuality or gender changes. These measures are attached to a bill that allows more severe penalties for pedophiles.
The Hungarian government stated that its policy is aimed at protecting children. But critics of the legislation compared it with Russia’s 2013 Gay Propaganda Law and said it conflated homosexuality with pedophilia as part of a campaign strategy to mobilize conservative voters before next spring’s elections.
The legislation was strongly opposed by many politicians in the European Union, of which Hungary is a member. Last week, the 27-nation European Commission launched two separate legal actions against the Hungarian government, accusing it of alleged violations of LGBT rights.
Saturday’s parade passes through the center of Budapest, across the Danube, and across one of the iconic buildings that connect the two halves of the city: the Freedom Bridge.
Mira Nagy, a 16-year-old Pride Parade participant and member of the Hungarian LGBT community, said that this year’s Pride Parade is of special significance.
“This year is significant because there is a real stake now,” she said. “Our situation is very bad… My plan is that if the situation gets worse, I will leave Hungary.”
The law also requires only government-approved civil organizations to provide sex education in schools, and restricts media content and literary works to minors discussing sexual orientation.
Pride marcher Anasztazia Orosz said this prevents young people from obtaining important information and verifying their own sexual orientation.
“Coming out was really difficult for me, and the only thing that made things easier was that I found a storybook on LGBT topics,” Oros said. “This is how I learned that my feelings are real, and I am no different.”
On Wednesday, Orban announced that the government will hold a referendum to show public support for the law. The polls will ask whether Hungarians should introduce children to the topic of sexual orientation in school, and whether they should promote or portray gender redistribution to children.
However, Majercsik, a proud spokesperson, stated that these issues are “overt transphobia and homophobia” and are part of the government’s “propaganda campaign” aimed at inciting dissatisfaction with the LGBT community.
“I heard that many LGBT people plan to leave the country and won’t even wait until next year’s elections,” Majercsik said. “The result of the election will determine whether many others stay or leave.”
Several members of the opposition party participated in the parade, including liberal Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony (Gergely Karacsony), who challenged Orban in next year’s election, which is expected to be from Orban in 2010. The closest since the party came to power.
Several small counter-demonstrations were held in the center of Budapest.
European Union Member Terry Reintke kicked off the parade with a speech, saying that Europe’s eyes are on Budapest.
“We have a lot more people than there are thousands of people here today,” Reintke said.
© 2021 Canadian Press
