On November 10th, the Hungarian government proposed to amend the State’s Constitution to enshrine the protection of “Christian values” in regards to gender roles.
The proposed amendment directly targets transgender identities by laying that “Hungary protects children’s right to identify as the sex they were born with, and ensures their upbringing is based on our national self-identification and Christian culture”. It also provides that “the mother is a woman and the father is a man” (meaning that only heterosexual couples are to adopt). The Hungarian constitution already stipulates that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman.
The Hungarian government raised the argument that “new, modern ideologies in the western world raise doubt about the creation of the male and female sex, and endanger the right of children to have healthy development.”. According to Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, the Hungarian constitution should include a ban on “gender propaganda”.
This bill, which is in line with the increasingly anti-LGBTQ+ stance among government officials (including Prime Minister Orban), adds on to a series of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks in Hungary, putting gender minorities’ rights at risk. In May, the country prohibited gender changes in personal documents, meaning that transgender and intersex people in Hungary legally forbidden from changing their gender or sex. In September, the publication of a children’s book showcasing diverse characters (LGBTQ+ people, Roma, people with disabilities) sparked a wave of homophobic comments and attacks. Later on, PM Orban said that the LGBTQ+ community should “leave our children alone” on a radio podcast.
This proposal now has to be debated in Parliament, but is likely to be passed, since Orban’s party holds the two-thirds majority in Parliament that is required to adopt constitutional amendments. The bill is highly contested both nationally by members of the political opposition, and internationally, at a European level. Few days after the bill was proposed, the EU commission unveiled its first LGBTQ+ strategy for equality.
Sources:
Human Rights Watch, “Hungary: Intensified Attack on LGBT People”, November 18, 2020
Shaun Walker, “Hungarian government mounts new assault on LGBT rights”, The Guardian, November 11, 2020
Reuters, “Hungary government proposes constitutional amendment mandating Christian gender roles”, November 10, 2020
Le Monde, “La Hongrie veut cimenter le « genre » dans la Constitution”, November 11, 2020
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