The Hungarian parliament approved amendments to the 2021 Child Protection Law, removing provisions that banned the “portrayal or promotion of homosexuality or transgenderism.” The legislation was originally enacted under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s large Fidesz majority. The new Tisza government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar, which came to power following Orbán’s defeat in April, has undertaken efforts to reverse the previous administration’s policies.
The vote on Tuesday was immediately followed by news that the European Union agreed to release €4.2 billion in previously frozen funds to Hungary. The European Commission had stated the Magyar government addressed multiple “rule of law breaches affecting the EU budget” and urged EU leaders to unlock the funds and readmit Hungary to the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe programmes.
LGBTQ and human rights advocates received the amendments positively, though they indicated additional legislative changes remained necessary. Tamás Dombos of the Háttér Society civil rights organization noted the group had campaigned against the original law for five years and expressed satisfaction with the adoption, while acknowledging some issues in the bill needed resolution. Dombos indicated further priorities include full recognition of same-sex marriage, adoption rights for same-sex couples, and restoration of transgender individuals’ right to change their names in official documents.
Prime Minister Magyar characterized his approach cautiously in recent comments, stating his responsibility to represent all Hungarians while acknowledging sensitivity surrounding sexual minority issues. The Fidesz party and Christian Democrats voted against the amendments, with the Christian Democrats stating that LGBTQ content promotion has no place in schools or media. Both the previous and current governments have made child protection central to their political messaging, though with fundamentally different approaches and objectives.
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