London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Hungary bans sharing content with children that promotes homosexuality

Hungary bans sharing content with children that promotes homosexuality

Hungarian MPs on Tuesday adopted a law banning any content portraying or "promoting" homosexuality or sex reassignment to anyone under 18.


The law was approved by 157 MPs, including those from the ultra-conservative ruling Fidesz party.

The opposition boycotted the vote, except the far-right Jobbik party.

In practice, educational programmes or advertisements by large groups in solidarity with sexual and gender minorities, such as the Coca-Cola ad depicting a male couple that prompted calls for a boycott in 2019, will no longer be allowed.

The same will apply to books, such as the collection of tales and legends de-dramatising homosexuality which attracted the wrath of the authorities in autumn 2020.


Series such as "Friends" or films such as "Bridget Jones", "Harry Potter" or "Billy Eliot", in which homosexuality is mentioned, could also be banned for minors.

The vote came a day after thousands of people took to the street of the capital, Budapest, to denounce the government's "constant propaganda" against the LGBT community.

Fidesz has defended its legislation as an effort to protect children from paedophilia.

The Council of Europe has condemned the bill as "misleading and false" as have several NGOs including Amnesty International.

Lydia Gall, senior researcher on Eastern EU and Western Balkans at Human Rights Watch reacted to the vote on Twitter, writing: "Associating paedophilia with LGBT people, banning comprehensive sexuality education and stifling free speech is despicable and unworthy of an EU member state."

Luca Dudits, a board member at the Hatter Society, the largest LGBT rights organisation in Hungary, told Euronews the vote was "unfortunately very unsurprising".

"Fidesz has been using the LGBTQ community as a scapegoat for many, many years. And unfortunately, they are using this kind of hate and painting us as an enemy to win votes," Dudits said.

Green MEP Rasmus Andresen called it a "shameful decision".

"It goes against our common values and human rights. I urge the EU Commission to take action and support Hungarian LGBTI*," he added on Twitter.

On Monday, the European parliament's LGBTI Intergroup had warned in a statement that the amendments to ban the portrayal and the "promotion" of sex reassignment "breach several EU laws", describing them as "Russian-style 'propaganda law'".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×