About this Episode
Hungary’s new government is beginning to reverse several restrictions on LGBTQ rights introduced under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced plans to change rules that have effectively prevented same-sex couples from adopting children since 2020. Under the previous system, single applicants needed approval from the family affairs minister, making adoption by gay and lesbian couples extremely difficult in practice. Magyar says adoption decisions should instead be made by qualified professionals based on the needs of the child.
The government has also submitted legislation to parliament that would remove several provisions of Hungary’s 2021 child-protection law restricting the depiction or promotion of sexual and gender diversity in content accessible to children. The proposed legislation would instead focus restrictions on genuinely harmful material such as pornography, sexual exploitation, grooming and age-inappropriate sexual content.
The changes follow an April ruling by the European Court of Justice, which found that Hungary’s restrictions violated EU law and contributed to the stigmatisation and marginalisation of LGBTQ people.
The reforms do not yet remove every discriminatory provision, and human-rights organisations are calling for further changes.
Still, after years of restrictions, Hungary’s new government is beginning to dismantle parts of the legal framework that had limited LGBTQ rights.
