Embassies of 35 countries call for an end to the politically motivated targeting of LGBTQ people in Hungary

"This is the first time that such a significant number of countries have united to express their serious concern about the anti-LGBTQ laws introduced in Hungary and demand their abolition. They are unanimous in calling for an end to the politically motivated targeting of LGBTQ individuals and their families," US Ambassador David Pressman told Telex in a statement on the occasion that this year 35 embassies and several cultural institutions joined the United States in supporting members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) community ahead of the 29th Budapest Pride Festival.

This is not the first time that embassies have issued a statement expressing their concern about Hungarian legislation and political rhetoric which stigmatises the LGBTQ community. 30 Budapest embassies signed a similar statement in 2021, 42 in 2022 and 38 in 2023. This year, however, marks the first time that discrimination against the LGBTQ community has been referred to as politically motivated.

"We reject and condemn all acts of violence, hate speech, harassment, stigmatization and discrimination committed against individuals and communities on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics and support the fight against such acts. In this regard, we are seriously concerned with the recent application of legislation and political rhetoric, including in Hungary, that is in tension with principles of non-discrimination, international human rights law and human dignity, and contributes to stigmatization of the LGBTQI+ community. This includes politically motivated efforts to target LGBTQI+ persons, their families, and depictions of LGBTQI+ persons in books, cultural institutions, and in the media. We stress the need for leaders and governments, here and elsewhere,

to show respect for and protect the rights of LGBTQI+ communities and individuals, and to eliminate laws, practices, and policies that discriminate against them."

– they write.

This is the first time that Poland has joined the joint diplomatic statement.

The statement also underlined that Budapest Pride is the longest-running LGBTQI+ event in the region and has an important role in promoting a more inclusive and equal society.

David Pressman is one of six openly gay ambassadors serving in Hungary and has been actively advocating for the LGBTQ community in Hungary since his arrival, even speaking at the opening event of Budapest Pride last year, to which the Hungarian government also responded to. And to close Pride month, he organised a family picnic at the US Embassy, which will be held again this year.

When asked if he had invited anyone from Fidesz or the government to the picnic at the US embassy, Pressman told Telex:

“I have invited many of them and I hope they can make it. Ministers, senior officials and opinion leaders. I think their attendance would be a powerful statement and a great opportunity for people who might disagree to come together, meet and see that there is nothing scary about the LGBTQ community. As an ambassador, I've really tried – and it's one of the hardest things to do in this country – to bring together people who disagree with each other. I've tried in many different ways to make sure that there is dialogue. Naturally, members of Fidesz, members of the opposition and all relevant political actors in Hungary are welcome to the event, which I am very pleased and honored to host on behalf of the United States.”

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Although the 2024 European Parliamentary elections were mostly about anti-war rhetoric, LGBTQI+ issues were not left out of the campaign this year either. Viktor Orbán ended his speech at Fidesz’s final campaign rally this year with the words "No migration, no gender, no war!".

There have already been fines this year as a result of the anti-gay law passed in 2021, which the government has called a child protection-law and which has been referred to as anti-gay in circles critical of the government. In bookstores of the Libri chain, the books of a Hungarian novelist have been put in a different category and moved to different shelves, and legal proceedings have been initiated against another bookseller, Líra.

The law in question was passed by the Fidesz-majority parliament in 2021. For a long time leading up to that, the National Assembly was preparing to adopt an anti-pedophile law which had broad public support – which even included the opposition. The only reason the draft was criticised by both the NGOs and the opposition was that it largely omitted elements of actual child protection and assistance for victimised children.

The text of the legislation, which was essentially about paedophile offenders, was subsequently changed to include an amendment on sexual minorities. Thus, the law declares it dangerous for children's development if they receive information about different sexual orientations before the age of 18.

Budapest Pride responded to the joint statement, calling it historic and specifically highlighting that Poland was among the signatories. "We welcome the strong stand of embassies and cultural institutions in support of the rights, social acceptance and freedom of the LGBTQ community in Hungary. We believe that this important international engagement sends a strong message: there is increasing and ever stronger demand for an adherence to international human rights standards in Hungary, and considering the signatory countries of the Joint Statement, what we see is far from a 'Brussels versus Hungary' divide, but an unparalleled broad coalition in defence of LGBTQ people in Hungary," they wrote.

Budapest Pride will be held on 22 June this year.