The ruling Fidesz party-dominated Hungarian parliament on Tuesday passed multiple measures curtailing the rights of LGBTQ+ people while simultaneously further consolidating Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s powers. The move comes only a few days after Hungary reached a compromise with Poland and the European Union (EU) in the controversial rule-of-law spat, finally allowing the bloc’s seven-year budget and COVID-19 recovery package to pass.
In a 134-45 vote, the parliament passed a law that effectively bars same-sex couples from adopting children by restricting such provisions to married, heterosexual couples. MPs also amended the Hungarian constitution with a dozen new rules, including a new definition for a family as the union of a father who is a man and a mother who is a woman, rewording the clause to exclude alternative family types. The text also mandates that parents raise their children in a conservative spirit.
Of course, given Orbán’s track record, the new developments, though extremely concerning, are not surprising. The leader and his nationalist party have sought to recast Hungary in a more conservative mould since winning a third landslide election in 2018, which has included harsh anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric as part of a perceived culture war against anyone who does not fit into its definition of a “traditional family”. Legal recognition for transgender people was also ended in the country in May.
Initially described as an illiberal democracy, Orbán now prefers to call his system of government a “Christian democracy”, with strong support for his regressive policies from the Hungarian Catholic Church. He has also repeatedly criticized Europe for watering down its Christian roots and instead experimenting with “godless cosmos, rainbow families, migration, and open societies”.
Though human rights groups and LGBTQ+ activists have reacted to the measures with horror, Orbán’s government justified its actions by saying that the constitution “is a living framework which expresses the will of the nation, the manner in which we want to live.”
However, critics suggest that it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate the will of the country from the Prime Minister’s ideas, given that his administration has systematically weakened institutions that can hold the government accountable. In fact, the legislation adopted on Tuesday also includes a constitutional amendment that lowers the legal threshold for Orbán to declare a state of emergency, while also removing crucial oversight of his actions such a decree is in place.
Hungarian Parliament Approves an Array of Anti-LGBTQ+ Measures
The Hungarian parliament passed multiple measures curtailing the rights of LGBTQ+ people while simultaneously further consolidating Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s powers.
December 16, 2020
SOURCE: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL