Words by: Teddy Bingham

Representatives have voted to remove provisions in the 2021 Child Protection Act that banned the distribution of materials promoting gay and trans content to under-18s. However, experts say much more is needed to tackle Orbán’s anti-LGBTQIA+ legacy.

The law restricted much LGBTQIA+ representation in public life, targeting books, television, schools and museums, while also being used to justify restrictions on Pride events.

Szilvia Gyurko, State Secretary at the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs, told AFP news agency: “Fundamentally, our goal was to move away from a flawed paradigm, linking child protection in any way to sexual orientation or gender identities, and shift to a framework that is truly about children and protecting children.”

Valérie Hayer MEP, President of Renew Europe, reacted on X: “This is very good news for the restoration of the rule of law and freedoms in the country. The European Union is a space of freedom, of all freedoms. Including the freedom to love whom one wants.”

The government of Peter Magyar has worked to dismantle Orbán’s authoritarian and conservative legacy, re-democratising institutions and restoring positive relations with the EU.

Viktor Orbán’s 16-year stint as Prime Minister was synonymous with attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community in Hungary and distancing the country from the EU.

However, experts and LGBTQIA+ rights campaigners within Hungary have warned that there is still a long way to go to improve the status of queer people in the country.

Also speaking to AFP, Tamás Dombos, from Háttér Society, an LGBTQIA+ NGO, said: “The fact that restrictions on access to LGBTQ+ content are being removed is definitely an important and positive step forward.

“Even if the government’s sole aim is to restore the legal status quo that existed before 2020, there are still a great many laws that would need to be amended… and we don’t know whether the government’s working on that.”

Human Rights Watch has also warned about discriminatory language remaining in Hungary’s constitution and restrictions in the Freedom of Assembly Act, which prohibit Pride and other LGBTQIA+ assemblies.

“The Tisza government has a parliamentary supermajority and while dismantling much of the Orbán-era anti-LGBT legal machinery is worth applauding, the government needs to finish what it started. It should amend the remaining discriminatory provisions,” the organisation said.

This win for LGBTQIA+ rights follows a judgment by the Court of Justice of the EU, which found that Hungary’s anti-LGBTQIA+ restrictions unfairly marginalised queer people and violated EU law.

Since the new government took power, a sense of optimism has returned for the community: including the return of Pride marches, but further legislative tests remain.