Following criticism from liberal politicians of Hungary’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó issued a firm defense of the country’s values, reiterating that Hungarians have the right to define family as consisting of a father, a mother, and children — where the father is a man and the mother is a woman — and that no other country has the right to challenge this.
Posting on Facebook, Szijjártó responded to a wave of international commentary surrounding Saturday’s Budapest Pride march, which took place despite a new law aiming to restrict events that could expose children to what the government describes as harmful sexual content.
The march, organized with the backing of Budapest’s liberal mayor Gergely Karácsony, was widely seen as an act of defiance against the ruling Fidesz party and the national government.
Szijjártó emphasized that while “everyone can be in love with whomever they want” in Hungary, the government draws a sharp distinction between private freedoms and public expressions. “There have been a lot of lies, slander, fake news,” he wrote. “But in the past few days, everyone has been able to see clearly that love in Hungary is really free.”
He went on to underline the government’s determination to “protect our children” by rejecting what he described as “aggressive LGBT propaganda, sexuality for its own sake, and scandal.” The minister referred to a national referendum held several years ago, in which the government claims an overwhelming public mandate for its stance on child protection and family values.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Szijjártó expressed frustration at foreign governments and public figures who had taken it upon themselves to criticize Hungary. “We have never interfered in the internal rules of other countries on this matter,” he said. “We expect the same in return: Leave the Hungarian people alone and let us live as we want.”
Saturday’s Pride parade drew several prominent international supporters, including members of the Spanish government, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who called on Hungarian authorities to let the march proceed and publicly declared her solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Climate activist Greta Thunberg also attended the event in her latest publicity stunt.
The Hungarian government opted not to intervene in the march, but made clear it disapproved of some of the displays. Officials noted that images from the march — including what they described as inappropriate behavior by adults — would likely reinforce opposition among the country’s conservative majority.
Balázs Orbán, political director to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, echoed Szijjártó’s position on Tuesday. Citing an Ipsos poll conducted outside Hungary, he noted that only 30 percent of Hungarians support LGBTQ+ issues being part of the public conversation, with support declining. He framed the cultural divide as one between Eastern and Western Europe, noting that countries like Romania share Hungary’s more traditional views.
“No matter how many Brussels politicians and international activists come to demonstrate in Budapest… the Hungarian people will make the decision about their own lives,” Balázs Orbán wrote. “The Hungarian government represents what the majority of Hungarians want: that LGBTQ propaganda should not be part of our everyday lives, that instead we protect our children, preserve the family, and organize society along clear values.”
The government’s position remains unchanged: While individuals are free to live and love as they choose, public displays and educational content involving LGBTQ+ themes will be restricted to safeguard what it considers to be the country’s cultural values.
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