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EU Condemns Hungary’s LGBT Bill Banning ‘Display of Homosexuality’ to Minors

By Bella Kontogianni
Greece LGBT Hungary
Greece joined the EU in condemning Hungary’s new bill. Credit: Camerawalker /Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

Greece, alongside 14 other European Union nations, signed a declaration on Wednesday condemning Hungary’s recent anti-LGBT+ bill which bans the “display and promotion of homosexuality” to those who are under 18 years old.

Greece was joined by Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden in signing the act.

Greece condemns Hungary’s anti-LGBT+ bill

Hungary’s new legislation bans the teaching or portrayal of homosexuality and transgender issues in school education material and television programs addressed to people under 18 years of age.

The bill has caused domestic and international outrage, which has only been intensified due to the fact that it was passed during Pride month, which is meant to be a time of celebration and liberation for the LGBT+ community.

The EU condemnation was led by Benelux, the politico-economic union between Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Ministers from the three countries discussed the controversial bill before consulting other like-minded countries to gain their support.

The Belgian Deputy Prime Minister issued a tweet on the issue as well.

Italy did not add its show of support until the end of the meeting, and Greece and Austria both signed the EU initiative the next day.

“(The law) represents a flagrant form of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and hence deserves to be condemned. Inclusion, human dignity and equality are core values of our European Union, and we cannot compromise on these principles,” the EU countries said in a statement.

“Stigmatizing LGBTIQ persons constitutes a clear breach of their fundamental right to dignity, as provided for in the EU Charter and international law.”

Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, Greece’s Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, also spoke on the country’s move to condemn Hungary’s anti-LGBT+ law.

“After Hungary’s insufficient explanations at yesterday’s General Affairs Council, Greece co-signed the joint statement of the countries requesting action from the European Commission on the law that is directed against the rights of the LGBTQI community,” Varvitsiotis tweeted on Wednesday.

“The clear position we took in yesterday’s council is reflected today in the co-signing of the relevant joint statement,” he continued, showing a clear line by the Greek government on the matter.

Hungary defends the controversial law

Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Prime Minister, says that the bill is meant to protect children, and will not negatively impact adult LGBT+ individuals.

He continued by comparing the current Hungarian state with its communist past, highlighting the improvements it has seen in human rights and protections.

“In communist Hungary, homosexual people were persecuted. Today the state not only guarantees the rights of homosexuals but actively protects them,” Orban said, defending the bill.

However, the EU does not seem to agree, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking in a press conference alleged that the EU may take action against Hungary if the law is not amended promptly.

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