Hungarian parliament banned talking about homosexuality in schools and on television

The Hungarian parliament on Tuesday approved a controversial anti-pedophilia law that includes articles widely criticized by civil society organizations for persecuting the LGTBI collective.

With 157 votes in favor, and as expected, the ruling majority of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán succeeded in passing this legislation which pursues and imposes tougher sanctions against pedophilia. Only one deputy voted against. However, the regulations also prohibit discussions on homosexuality in educational centers and veto the broadcasting of audiovisual content including LGTBI themes on television.

Thus, a register of pedophile offenders will be created accessible to the public and prison sentences may be up to 20 years for certain classified cases of child pornography, among other measures designed with the argument of the protection of minors.

However, and apart from these articles, The new legislation includes bans on sex education in schools, where activities aimed at “promoting homosexuality” or gender change cannot be carried out, as specified in the text and collected by the Hungarian media Blikk.

More, televisions may not broadcast films or programs that are considered to promote LGTBI content to children under the age of 18.

On Monday, thousands of people gathered in front of the Parliament to protest against the approval of this project and denounce that with him the persecution against the LGTBI community is spreading, a year before the elections and with Fidesz de Orbán and the opposition coalition tied in the polls.

Human rights groups regretted that the far right Orbán had succeeded in approving a project which it includes “exclusionary and hateful proposals to completely eliminate LGTBI people from the public and to ban vital school programs that help young people.”

In addition, It violates freedom of expression, education and children’s right to healthy development, criticized Hungarian Helsinki Committee spokesman Zsolt Szekeres, ‘Népszava’ reported.

This is not the first law that organizations have protested against for violating the rights of the LGTBI community, A law was passed last year to ban adoption for same-sex couples.

(with EP information)

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