The United States isn’t the only place undergoing a massive anti-LGBTQ+ push on the government level. In Hungary, a newly-introduced bill could put an end to Pride celebrations across the country.
As reported by the AP, a new bill in Hungary would not only make attending Hungary Pride a criminal charge, it would enlist facial recognition software to develop a database of event attendees. Much like anti-trans politicians in the United States, Hungarian officials are using the claim of “child protection” to criminalize the mere “depiction or promotion” of LGBTQ+ identity to minors.
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The bill is a natural progression of a law passed in 2021—declared by the EU as putting LGBTQ+ lives and citizenry in danger—that makes it illegal to “portray or promote” both queerness and transness to minors under 18. In an aggressive anti-gay push not unlike the one American lawmakers are bringing forward in this country, the double whammy of anti-gay laws in Hungary seem to essentially seek to erase any signs of queerness and transness from the media and public life.
The new bill would subject attendees of Hungary Pride to fines of over $500.
Meanwhile, even if the law passes and renders Hungary Pride festivals illegal, there’s still a question of whether or not the event itself will get shut down. Either way, citizens attending the event would be at risk.
