The Hungarian government has drawn up a bill aimed at preventing annual Pride parades by the LGBTQIA+ community from taking place in public.
Gergely Gulyás, Chief of Staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, emphasised that Hungary has never supported the parades. He noted that Budapest’s “room for manoeuvre” was too limited to impose a ban before Donald Trump returned to the White House. However, the Hungarian government believes the time is now right to implement such a ban.
“We believe that Pride parades in the city centre should no longer be tolerated now that the US ambassador can no longer lead them,” Gulyás stated.
Former US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman was known as a critic of the Orbán government. Along with other foreign diplomats, he regularly participated in Pride parades in Hungary. Pressman resigned last month, before the Trump administration officially took office.
The Hungarian Government is now aiming for a constitutional amendment prioritising “the protection of children.” Gulyás claims a Pride parade does not fit within this framework, although no arguments have been provided to support this assertion.
The conservative Hungarian government has significantly curtailed LGBTQIA+ rights in recent years. Since 2019, the constitution defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman, while same-sex couples are banned from adopting children. Additionally, children’s books promoting homosexuality or gender change are no longer allowed to be sold publicly.
