Thousands march in Budapest Pride parade
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Rising anger over the policies of Hungary’s right-wing government filled the streets of the country’s capital on Saturday as thousands of LGBTQ supporters marched in the annual Budapest Pride parade.
March organizers expected record crowds at the event and called on participants to express their opposition to recent steps by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government that critics say stigmatize sexual minorities in the Central European country.
Budapest Pride spokesperson Jojo Majercsik said this year’s march is not just a celebration and remembrance of the historical struggles of the LGBTQ movement but a protest against Orban’s current policies targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.
“A lot of LGBTQ people are afraid and don’t feel like they have a place or a future in this country anymore,” Majercsik said.
The march came after Hungary’s parliament passed a law in June prohibiting the display of content to minors that depicts homosexuality or gender change. The measures were attached to a bill allowing tougher penalties for pedophiles.
Hungary’s government said its policies seek to protect children. But critics of the legislation compare it to Russia’s gay propaganda law of 2013 and say it conflates homosexuality with pedophilia as part of a campaign ploy to mobilize conservative voters ahead of elections next spring.
The legislation was met with fierce opposition by many politicians in the European Union, of which Hungary is a member. The Executive Commission of the 27-nation bloc launched two separate legal proceedings against Hungary’s government last week over what it called infringements on LGBTQ rights.
The law also requires that only civic organizations approved by the government can provide sexual education in schools, and it limits the availability of media content and literature to minors that discuss sexual orientation.
Pride marcher Anasztazia Orosz said that would inhibit young people from accessing important information and validation of their sexual orientation.
“It was really difficult for me to come out, and the only thing that made it easier was that I found a book of stories on LGBT topics,” Orosz said. “That’s how I learned that what I’m feeling is something real, that I’m not different.”