Eurovision may be ‘too gay’ for Hungary, as it quits contest

HUNGARY has pulled out of next year’s Eurovision song contest amid speculation the decision was triggered by a backlash against the competition’s Lgbt-positive messaging.

While no official reason has been given for the withdrawal, sources within Hungary’s public broadcaster reportedly believe it is due to a rise in homophobic rhetoric, with one progovernment commentator calling Eurovision a “homosexual flotilla”.

In previous years MTVA, Hungary’s state-owned public service broadcaster, has hosted a song contest with the winner going on to represent Hungary in Eurovision. But the broadcaster announced last month that the forthcoming contest would not serve as a decider for Eurovision, but rather focus on the Hungarian song of the year.

The announcement was taken as a sign that Hungary was likely to withdraw from Eurovision 2020 in Amsterdam, a decision confirmed with the publication of the list of competing countries last week.

A source at MTVA told The Guardian that staff widely believe that Eurovision’s Lgbt-friendly ethos was behind the decision. “I was not surprised. It comes from the organisational culture of MTVA,” they said. It follows a report by the Hungarian website index.hu last week that cited public media sources who believed Hungary had withdrawn because Eurovision was “too gay”. It comes as its Right-wing government promotes traditional family values.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs Eurovision, told The Guardian: “It is not uncommon for EBU members to have breaks in participation in the Eurovision song contest.”