Hungary LGBT: Content aimed at children to be banned

Hungary's ruling nationalist party has submitted legislation to ban content it sees as promoting homosexuality and gender change to minors. The draft law would ban LGBT literature for under-18s, including educational material, and advertisements deemed to be promoting gay rights. Several human rights groups denounced it, saying it was similar to Russian restrictions on LGBT activities. The party, PM Viktor Orban's Fidesz, is preparing for elections in early 2022.

Budapest Pride, an alliance of Hungarian LGBT groups, urged activists to lobby US President Joe Biden to raise the issue with Mr Orban in Europe next week. Hatter Society, one of those groups, said the Fidesz proposal "would seriously curb freedom of speech and children's rights". The proposal is included in a government bill that punishes paedophilia. It says youngsters under 18 cannot be shown pornographic content, or any content that encourages gender change or homosexuality, Reuters news agency reports.

source: Article 'Hungary LGBT: Content aimed at children to be banned'; www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57439699; BBC News; 11 June 2021