The European Union (EU) on Wednesday confirmed its decision to investigate Hungary over its new anti-LGBT bill passed by the ruling government of Prime Minister (PM) Viktor Orbán. The bill curtails the rights of the LGBT community and depicts them as a threat. Introduced by Fidesz, Hungary’s right-wing and national conservation political party, the bill was passed by a landslide majority, despite protests by the opposition and boycott of the Parliament.
In a tweet, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said, “Very concerned about the new law in Hungary. We are assessing if it breaches relevant EU legislation. I believe in a Europe which embraces diversity, not one which hides it from our children. No one should be discriminated against based on sexual orientation.”
While launching an inquiry into Hungary’s new law and its compliance with the EU law, the bloc’s equality commissioner, Helena Dalli, said, “Everyone must be free and welcome to be themselves without limitation.” Speaking to Reuters, Dalli warned Hungary of funding restrictions and said, “The message is that if you don’t uphold the values of democracy or equality of the European Union, you are not entitled to take money for your project.”
The Hungarian government stated that “the ban on LGBT+ content aimed at protecting children’s healthy physical and mental development.” Fidesz’s state secretary, Csaba Domotor, said, “No one can get away with atrocities with light punishments and parole.”
On Tuesday, the Hungarian Parliament passed legislation that restricted the dissemination of content discussing homosexuality and sex reassignment to people under the age of 18. The bill predominantly focuses on punishing paedophiles. The law was vehemently opposed by the opposition leaders and human rights groups as they accused the government of conflating paedophilia with the LGBT. The law also redefined adoption policies, allowing only heterosexual couples to adopt children. Hungary also does not recognise the union between people of the same gender. It is argued that the PM promotes “radical social policies” and a “Christian-conservative agenda” to secure his position in next year’s elections.
Though the primary target of the law is “paedophilia”, it contains provisions that restrict teachers from discussing transgender issues and same-sex love with minors. The bill also effectively bans all TV shows, movies, commercials, and advertisements that portray homosexual and transgender content to minors. The new law and its implementations are the ruling government’s latest attack on the LGBT community. Last year, the ruling party successfully advocated for a law that restricted transgender people from changing their gender markers on official legal documents.
The United States embassy in Budapest expressed concern over the latest law, stating: “The United States stands for the idea that governments should promote freedom of expression and protect human rights, including the rights of members of the LGBTQI+ community.”
The new law violates the international human rights charter and the EU’s fundamental rights and treaties. Hungary’s ally, Poland, adopted similar anti-LGBT law and was subjected to funding restrictions imposed by the EU. The launch of an investigation into the bill in Hungary suggests that the EU may be considering implementing similar restrictions against Orbán’s government.
EU Launches Investigation Into Hungary Over New Anti-LGBT Bill
The European Union has decided to launch an inquiry over Hungary's new LGBT bill as it restricts the dissemination of content portraying homosexuality and transgender in schools.
June 18, 2021
SOURCE: POLITICO