The anti-LGBTQ+ policy is once again illustrated in Hungary. The state imposed a fine of 12 million forints (32,000 euros) on the Líra bookstore chain. The reason: the sale of two books dealing with homosexuality – a webcomic and the British graphic novel Heart stroke, by Alice Oseman, telling a love story between two boys – without prevention messages or plastic packaging.

Imperative requirements since the 2021 law known as against the “promotion” of homosexuality and transidentity, which prohibits any representation with minors and equates LGBTQ + identities with pedocrime. Considered to violate human rights, this law has been the subject of an infringement procedure by the European Union since 2021, with the support of 15 countries, including France.

The state had already asked, in January 2020, Labrisz – Hungarian lesbian association – to add a warning to readers after the publication of revisited fairy tales including homosexual and transgender characters. It is therefore only the continuity of the policy pursued in recent years by Viktor Orban. Since coming to power in 2010, the ultra-conservative Prime Minister has gradually put in place a repressive legal arsenal vis-à-vis LGBTQ+ rights in Hungary.

In the early 2000s, Hungary had one of the most progressive laws for LGBT rights

As early as 2011, he included in the Constitution a clause defining “the institution of marriage as the union between a man and a woman”. In May 2020, the Hungarian Parliament banned the recognition of the gender identity of transgender people in civil status, introducing the notion of biological into the law. In December 2020, the ban on adoption by same- couples was constitutionalized.

Last offensive to date: the vote, last April, of a text authorizing the anonymous denunciation of those who “question” the constitutional definition of marriage and the family. In the line of sight: homoparental families. Under fire from critics, the text was however withdrawn on May 23. Recently, an amendment was tabled to exclude transgender women from an early retirement program enjoyed by Hungarian women.

If this policy vis-à-vis LGBTQ+ rights is today one of the most restrictive in Europe, Hungary had one of the most progressive legislations in this area in the early 2000s. The country decriminalized homosexuality in 1961 and a civil partnership between people of the same had been established as early as 1996. According to the Hungarian NGO Hattér Society, the population did not follow the conservative dynamics of the government: “Hungarian society is more tolerant than its government on LGBTQ+ issues, especially in cities like Budapest. »

Through its constant attacks, the government is fueling a moral panic around a supposed decline of “Christian values” and the “Hungarian way of life”, and scapegoating them – LGBTQ+ people, but also immigrants.

The interest: to circumvent other subjects unfavorable to the power in place in a context where Brussels freezes billions of euros of funds and where prices soar. “The government is instrumentalizing the subject in the run-up to the local and European elections of 2024 to mobilize its base and divert attention” problems,” David Vif, director of Amnesty International in Budapest, told AFP.

The lack of positive representation of LGBTQ+ people therefore has concrete consequences for society and for the people concerned, especially young people. “This can cause them to feel ashamed of their identity and lead to low self-esteem and greater exposure to mental health issues like depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts,” emphasizes Eszter Mihaly, of Amnesty International Hungary.

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A situation that accentuates ignorance and promotes violence. A Hattér report published in July 2022, one year after the law came into force, demonstrates this: “The number of hate crimes and cases of LGBTQ+ discrimination reported to Hattèr society has increased significantly. LGBTQ+ organizations say their activities have become much more difficult. » A hostile climate which, according to the NGO, has already pushed many people concerned to leave the country.

The Humanitarian

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