Orbán Bans LGBTIQ+ Marches
March 18, 2025 – The Hungarian Parliament, controlled by Fidesz, adopted a radical amendment to Hungary’s freedom of assembly law to ban LGBTIQ+ Pride events in Hungary and enable the use of facial recognition technology to prosecute participants.
This bill marks a troubling escalation in Prime Minister Orbán’s attack on LGBTIQ+ people and human rights defenders, which has been further consolidated in a constitutional amendment.
Hungary's Anti-LGBTIQ+
PROPAGANDA LAW
Hungary is the first country to have imported Russia’s 2013 anti-LGBT propaganda law into the European Union. Passed in June 2021, the so-called "Act on stricter actions against paedophile offenders" qualifies LGBTIQ+ people as paedophiles, and outlaws sharing information seen as promoting homosexuality and transidentities with minors in advertising, media, schools, bookshops and in family interactions.
In 2023, 16 Member States, the European Parliament and the European Commission joined forces to bring this law to the EU Court of Justice, making this the largest human rights case in the history of the EU.
On November 19, judges at the Court heard the case for the first time.
On June 5th, Advocate General Ćapeta published her opinion on the case.
A ruling is expected in autumn 2025.
Countries participating in the lawsuit
16
Final CJEU judgement expetect
Autumn 2025
Anti-LGBTIQ+ laws
SPREADING IN EUROPE
Kremlin-inspired laws like the Hungarian anti-LGBTQI+ propaganda law are spreading (worryingly) fast in EU Member States like Bulgaria and Slovakia, and candidate countries like Georgia. We call the EU institutions and Member States to act in the defence of LGBTIQ+ rights.
You can find here our featured publications on the Bulgarian Don't Say Gay Law:
Legal Opinion: Bulgaria’s 2024 law banning comprehensive sex-ed
Letter to the European political parties to reprimand their BG members for supporting the law
What's
HAPPENING?
5 June 2025
In her opinion, AG Ćapeta argues that Hungary’s 2021 “anti-LGBT propaganda" law breaches EU law, including Art. 2 TEU; the fundamental rights of human dignity, non-discrimination, private and family life and the freedom of expression and information; as well as internal market rules.
Advocate General Ćapeta publishes her opinion on the 2021 “anti-LGBT propaganda” case
19 March 2025
The Hungarian Parliament adopts a law that builds upon the anti-LGBT law to restrict LGBTIQ+ themed assemblies - effectively banning the Pride march. Organisers face up to 1 year of imprisonment, and participants fines of up to EUR 500. This attack on LGBTIQ+ rights was cemented in the Consitution on 14 April.
Hungary bans LGBTIQ+ Pride
6 November 2023
A far right politician demanded that kids' entry to the World Press Photo Exhibition at the National Museum depicting elderly LGBT people be banned. The Head of the National Museum was fired over refusing to enforce the censorship.
Hungary fires national museum chief for not enforcing under-18s ban at photo exhibition
15 July 2023
Hungary's Media Council marks the 2023 Budapest Pride TV commercial as unsuitable/harmful for minors and prohibited a TV station, RTL, from broadcasting it between 5 AM and 10 PM.
2023 Budapest Pride ad is banned from airing in commercial TV
8 April 2023
A historical number of member states came together to overturn the anti-LGBTIQ+ law and prevent its replication elsewhere in Europe. On the deadline for written submissions (6 April 2023), 15 member states had already joined the case, with Estonia doing so for the oral phase.
16 Member States and the European Parliament join the CJEU case in support of the Commission
19 December 2022
The Commission brings Hungary before the Court of Justice of the EU following 18 months of unsuccessful efforts to persuade the country to repeal the legislation. The initiation of legal proceedings was officially announced in the EU's Official Journal on February 13, 2023.
The European Commission brings Hungary before the CJEU
15 July 2021
The European Commission launches an infringement procedure against Hungary for violating EU directives on media services, e-commerce, EU single market freedoms and human rights enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights - as well as Article 2 TEU.
The European Commission opens an infringement procedure against the anti-LGBTIQ+ law
15 June 2021
Despite large-scale protests, the Hungarian Parliament passed Act LXXIX of 2021 and Government Decree 473/2021 (VIII.6.), known as the Propaganda Law, on 15 June 2021. The law bans inclusive sex-education at schools and establishes great hurdles for the sale of goods or broadcasting of stories with LGBTIQ+ characters.
The anti-LGBTIQ+ Law is passed
27 May 2025
20 Member states expressed their concern about infringements of the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ persons in recent legislative and constitutional amendments in Hungary, and call on the Commission to take action.
Joint declaration from 20 Member States calling the European Commission to act against the ‘Pride ban’ law.
19 November 2024
Hungary faced the Commission, the EP and 16 Member States at a historic hearing in Luxembourg. Everyone agreed that the LGBTIQ+ propaganda ban has no place in EU's legal order, and that it even breached Art. 2 TEU. Click on "read more" for our BSKY thread on the hearing's main moments and discussions.
Hearing of the case at the CJEU
17 July 2023
The Hungarian Media Council contacted the media authoritiies of other EU Member States 24 times to take action against service providers registered outside Hungary that were displaying LGBTIQ+ characters in their broadcast.
Hungary’s media watchdog launches probe into several TV series
12 July 2023
The anti-LGBTIQ+ law requires bookstores to wrap books with LGBTIQ+ characters in foil and move them to the +18 section and imposes a total sale ban if the store is 200m away from church or school. Hungary's second-largest bookstore chain has been fined EUR 32,000, and others consider the removal of LGBTIQ+ titles altogether.
Hungary starts imposing fines on bookshops for selling 'Heartstopper' and other LGBTIQ+ stories
22 December 2022
The Commission suspends over €700 million in EU cohesion funding due to Hungary's refusal to repeal the "anti-gay propaganda law", arguing that it violates the horizontal enabling condition related to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, a precondition for accessing EU funds.
The Commission freezes EUR 700 million of cohesion funds over anti-LGBTIQ+ law
23 June 2021
18 Member States signed a joint letter expressing their concern about Hungary's anti-LGBTIQ+ law,arguing that it was flagrantly discriminatory and an attack on EU values. They urged the European Commission to bring the matter before the European Court of Justice, and recalled their commitment to protect the rights of all EU citizens.
18 EU member states condemn the law as discriminatory and ask for a referal to EU's top court
17 May 2021
Fourteen Member States signed a declaration calling the European Commission to act against breaches of LGBTIQ+ rights, as well as pledging to develop a litigation strategy to support EU institutions in court cases "where the protection of EU values in general and LGBTIQ persons in particular is at stake".
