Hungary Taken to European Court Over LGBTQ+ Rights
July 18, 2022The European Commission has taken to Hungary to the highest court of the European Union over a law which bans the portrayal of, or the "promotion" of, homosexuality.
The Commission describes the law as "[discriminating] against people on the basis of their sexual orientation," saying that "the Commission considers that the law violates the internal market rules, the fundamental rights of individuals (in particular LGBTIQ people) as well as – with regard to those fundamental rights – the EU's values."
The standoff between Brussels and Budapest has been long going on as right-wing President Viktor Orban continues to paint the European Union as meddling in the affairs of the central European nation. The government chose last year to ban any depictions of homosexuality, including in education, advertising, and films. The LGBTQ+ community in Hungary, and around the world, reacted in shock and has been protesting the law since. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen decried the law, and began proceedings against Hungary to challenge the law as being in conflict with European law, which takes precedence over national statutes.
Hungary is not alone in this; proceedings have also been instigated against Poland over Government decisions around the judiciary, as well as "LGBTQ+ Free Zones". It remains to be seen if Hungary or Poland are able to make their cases in court, but the clash continues.
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