Hungarian government "clamps down" on Pride march

[Gaybutton]

I am sick and tired of governments, including the USA, deciding that something is wrong with being gay and gays should have rights taken away, if they ever had any particular rights at all, and gays should be shunned and repressed.

I thank God every day that I'm living in a country where being gay is not merely tolerated, but welcomed. Thailand now supports same-sex marriage and is openly trying to attract LGBTQ people to holiday in Thailand (albeit preferably rich LGBTQs). Pride parades are not only permitted, but often joined by high ranking government officials.

If you want to live somewhere that practices repression, sometimes persecution, against gays, go ahead. I will be living in Thailand for as long as Thailand will have me - where I can be open about my sexual preference without any problems or stigmatization and where transgender people are considered to be a third sex - and nobody gives a damn about which bathroom they use.
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Hungarian government clamps down on Pride march, citing ‘child protection’ reasons

by Catherine Nicholls, CNN

February 27, 2025

The Hungarian government is clamping down on the country’s annual Budapest Pride parade, which has been running for almost 30 years, saying that it should not “dominate public spaces” – citing what it claims are “child protection” issues.

Gergely Gulyas, the chief of staff for Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, made the remarks at a government information session Thursday, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s International Communications Office.

While Gulyas did not spell out what the clampdown would involve, he also announced changes to the country’s constitution, which will include amending the definition of gender to be “biologically male or female,” and enshrining in law “that a child’s right to physical, mental, and moral development takes precedence over all other considerations.”

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Gulyas said the Pride should be held in a “closed venue” this year rather than processing along an avenue in central Budapest as in previous years.

Neela Ghoshal, senior director of Law, Policy and Research at LGBTQ+ organization Outright International, told CNN on Thursday that “the idea of forcing Pride into a closet makes a mockery of the very concept of Pride.”

“This is autocracy laid bare,” Ghoshal said. “Claims regarding child protection are pure lies, aimed at manipulating the public into accepting the relinquishing of human rights for all.”

“Queer, trans, and intersex children exist – and experience extreme violence and discrimination,” she continued. “If Orban is acting on behalf of Hungary’s children, he can’t pick and choose. The best way to ensure children’s healthy development is to acknowledge science, listen to children, and strive to truly leave no one behind”

Orban’s government has long cited child safety as a reason for undermining LGBTQ+ rights in the country. In 2020, Budapest effectively barred same-sex adoption, with Orban’s office saying at the time that the move strengthened “the protection of Hungarian families and the safety of our children.”

A year later, the country banned the distribution of content related to gender change or homosexuality to under 18s. The European Commission said at the time that the law violated “a number of EU rules,” as well as “human dignity, freedom of expression and information.”

In 2022, the commission referred Hungary to the EU’s Court of Justice for the ban, which it said “discriminates against people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

At Orban’s State of the Nation address on Saturday, he said that Hungary “must not yield - we must not give up on protecting our children.”

“I advise the Pride organizers that they should not bother preparing for this year’s parade. It would be a waste of time and money,” he said.

The same day, Budapest Pride said in a statement that it is already organizing its 30th pride march, which will be held in June. The march’s organizers said that “attacks” on the LGBTQ+ community by those in power are “nothing more than political theater – the ruling party is using the LGBTQ community for its own gain.”

The press office for the Mayor of Hungary, Gergely Karácsony, told CNN that, for him, “standing up for Pride is as natural and self-evident as the love between two people. To stand up for Pride is not only a conviction, but also a duty as the mayor of a diverse and free city.”

Karácsony will attend a pre-planned meeting with the organizers of Budapest Pride on Friday, the press office said. Though it was originally meant to discuss operations, the meeting has now “taken on a new meaning in the current situation, following the Hungarian Government’s campaign against Pride,” it added.

The slogan of this year’s march will be “We are home,” the organizers said, adding that there have been “countless” attempts to ban the march over the years, which have all failed.

“In the end, Pride is a demonstration, whether with twenty people or tens of thousands, but it will happen,” the statement said. “We’re not just fighting for the Budapest Pride March or the LGBTQ community – we’re fighting for the right of all Hungarians to protest, speak their minds, and stand up for themselves.”

https://us.cnn.com/2025/02/27/europe/bu ... index.html

[Jun]

It could be worse:
Two men publicly flogged in Indonesia for gay sex

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/29694 ... or-gay-sex

[Gaybutton]

Two men publicly flogged in Indonesia for gay sex

And according to the article that was after each of them were kept in prison for three months. I doubt anyone needs me to explain how they were probably treated in prison.

And that is just what the religious right in the USA would love to do to gays, just before hanging them with piano wire. Drawing and quartering gays is probably off the table though - too harsh . . .

One thing I've always enjoyed in the USA is when some politician rants and raves about gays - until they themselves get caught engaging in gay sex.

How about just leaving people who are harming no one alone and mind your own business and lives.

[Gaybutton]

Cancel my trip to Budapest . . .
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Hungary’s president signs law banning Pride parade

by Reuters

March 19, 2025

Hungary’s president has signed a law proposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling party that will ban LGBTQ+ communities from holding their annual Pride march, defying criticism by human rights organisations that it restricts freedom of assembly.

Protesters blocked a bridge in central Budapest on Tuesday night after parliament passed the measure, fast-tracking a law proposed by Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party on Monday.

President Tamas Sulyok, a former Constitutional Court chief who was elected to the largely ceremonial position a year ago by the Fidesz parliamentary majority, signed the law. His office did not reply to Reuters questions on Wednesday.

The law bans Pride on the grounds that it could be considered harmful to children. It also says police can use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend the event, and impose fines on participants.

Orban, who is dealing with a struggling economy and an unprecedented challenge from a new opposition party ahead of a 2026 election, has long been critical of the LGBT community.

His policies often put him at odds with the rest of the European Union. Hadja Lahbib, the European Union commissioner for equality, said on X that “the right to gather peacefully is a fundamental right to be championed across the European Union”.

Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, said he was “very concerned” about the new law and urged Sulyok to veto it.

Budapest’s liberal mayor, Gergely Karacsony, also criticised the law and said this year’s Pride “could be bigger than ever”. Organisers said they planned to go ahead with this year’s march - scheduled for June 28 - despite the ban.

“Budapest is the city of freedom, there will be Pride,” Karacsony said.

Orban, in office since 2010, has also pledged to crack down on foreign funding of independent media and non-governmental organisations, emboldened by the moves of his ally, US President Donald Trump.

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