Hungarian government mounts new assault on LGBT rights

Constitutional amendment proposed to enshrine defence of so-called ‘Christian values’

Shaun Walker in Budapest
Wed 11 Nov 2020 17.36 GMT

Moments before Hungary entered a second coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday, the far-right government signalled its intention to pass a range of new legislation, including to make it harder for opposition political parties to join forces and to change the constitution to enshrine the defence of so-called “Christian values”.

Opposition politicians criticised both the substance and timing of the moves.

The proposed constitutional amendment, submitted to parliament by the justice minister, Judit Varga, late on Tuesday, is the latest assault on LGBT rights in the country, where legal recognition for gender changes was ended in May.

“Hungary protects children’s right to identify as the sex they were born with, and ensures their upbringing based on our national self-identification and Christian culture,” the amendment states. The constitution already stipulates that marriage must be between a man and a woman, but the amendment says that in a parent-child relationship “the mother is a woman and the father is a man”.

The amendment would ensure that only heterosexual married couples can adopt children. Single people could gain exemptions by special ministerial permission.

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