Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has doubled and tripled down on his anti-LGBT law that is masquerading as a child protection law making it easier for him to manipulate voters. 

The European Commission has said that the law violates EU rules on freedom of expression, free trade and provision of services while criticising it for conflating homosexuality with paedophilia, writing in a statement: “Equality and the respect for dignity and human rights are core values of the EU, enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union. The commission will use all the instruments at its disposal to defend these values.”

Despite the European Union mounting a legal challenge that could seriously affect Hungary financially, Orban has announced that he will put it to the people in a referendum – but the highly leading questions reveal that it’s a total sham. For example, it ask if schools should be permitted to “talk about sexuality to children without their consent”, and if voters support “the promotion of sex reassignment treatment for minors” or the “unrestricted exposure of children to harmful sexual content”.

Member of the European Party for Hungary’s opposition party Katalin Cseh accused Orban of hate-mongering, saying in a statement “The hate-mongering against minorities — this time, the LGBTQ community in crosshairs — is a well known tactic to rile up the base before the elections. We have also seen national referendums abused this way, degraded to political instruments. Back in October, 2016, they had a similar referendum vilifying refugees.”

One has to wonder how long Orban expects to remain within the EU if he keeps goading the governing body whilst also playing politics with the Hungarian people at the expense of LGBTQIA+ citizens. The Budapest Pride March is this Saturday and as always we stand with our queer siblings and wish them love and safety.