As Prime Minister Viktor Orbán enters a tough election race in 2022, the move will raise his anti-LGBTQ+ campaign to a heightened level.
Earlier this year, he proposed that the country hold a referendum that could limit how schools teach homosexuality and transgender issues. “The Hungarian government proposes that citizens should have a chance to express their stance on the issues of gender propaganda,” deputy minister Balazs Orban told parliament. “We are committed.
We believe that we… have to say no to LGBT+ propaganda in schools carried out with the help of NGOs and media, without parental consent.” With the help of right-wing populist party Fidesz’s ruling majority, parliament voted on and passed the referendum questions one by one.