Hungary’s hardline prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is coming for queer lives — and he’s doing it with a constitutional amendment that sounds like it was ripped straight from a dystopian novel. Lawmakers are expected to greenlight new rules that will officially ban LGBTQ+ gatherings, including Budapest’s iconic Pride march, while also cementing into law a definition of gender so narrow it could squeeze a rainbow out of existence.
This isn’t just another headline in Orbán’s long war on human rights. It’s a deliberate move to erase LGBTQ+ people from public life. Under the amendment, Hungary would recognize only two sexes — male and female — giving legal cover to deny the very existence of trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse Hungarians. And if that’s not chilling enough, the government also plans to use facial recognition tech to identify people attending forbidden Pride events — a futuristic nightmare straight out of Black Mirror.
Fear, control, and the targeting of queers
The government’s excuse? Protecting children. But no one’s buying it. Rights groups have slammed the move as “legislating fear,” calling it a brutal escalation of Orbán’s campaign to control every aspect of Hungarian life. LGBTQ+ people aren’t the only ones in the crosshairs — dual nationals could lose their citizenship if deemed a threat to national security. But make no mistake: the queer community is the primary target.
“This isn’t child protection, this is fascism,” declared the organizers of Budapest Pride. And they’re right. Orbán’s policies have followed an all-too-familiar authoritarian playbook — block same-sex adoption, erase LGBTQ+ education, and now, criminalize public queer existence.
The fight for Hungary’s soul isn’t over
But Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community is not backing down quietly. Thousands have taken to the streets, chanting “democracy” and “assembly is a fundamental right,” blocking bridges and demanding their basic freedoms. Momentum, a liberal opposition party, has called on citizens to blockade parliament to stop the vote, warning against following Russia’s homophobic path.
The European Union is watching nervously. EU officials and embassies in Hungary have expressed deep concern over the Pride ban and its implications for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly — rights that are cornerstones of European identity.
Why this matters for LGBTQ+ people everywhere
What’s happening in Hungary is a stark reminder to LGBTQ+ people around the world: hard-won rights are never guaranteed. Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ+ crackdown is designed not just to intimidate Hungarians, but to send a message to populist leaders across Europe and beyond — that queerness can be legislated out of public life.
But history tells us something else: queer people don’t disappear when laws turn against them. They organize. They resist. They show up louder, prouder, and more defiant than ever. Budapest Pride organizers have vowed to hold their march on June 28, no matter what. Because being queer is not a crime — it’s survival.
And that rainbow flag isn’t coming down anytime soon.