Hungary’s Pride ban mocked with ‘Gray Pride’ march: ‘Humour exposes the absurd’

Members of the LGBTQ+ community gathered in Hungary’s capital Budpaest to mock the right-wing government’s recently passed law banning LGBTQ+ Pride marches.For weeks, protesters have staged demonstrations in Budapest against the legislation, with thousands of queer folks and allies flooding the streets with signs and flags. Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, which was recently praised by Donald Trump, submitted a bill to parliament in March that effectively bans Pride marches from taking place, with supporters of the legislation claiming such events could be considered “harmful to children”.

It was quickly passed into law by prime minister Viktor Orbán and set fines of up to 200,000 forints (£420/$550) for organisers of Budapest Pride and anyone attending. The law also allows police to use facial recognition to target and fine anyone at Pride marches.In previous years, more than 30,000 LGBTQ+ people and allies have marched in Budapest Pride.



Protestors gather in Budapest, Hungary, on an illiberal Pride, stating that everyone should be the same, after the government passes legislation banning the pride marches. (Balint Szentgallay/NurPhoto via Getty Images)On Saturday (12 April), protesters took a different tack: rather than protesting with rainbow Pride colours, they went grey for a tongue-in-cheek jibe at the anti-queer law.At the rally – organised by the parody political party the Two-tailed Dog Party – demonstrators waved flags that were monochrome and held ironic signs with satirical slogans such as “sameness is trendy”.

“Look at all these people here now, dressed in grey – a perfect display of what sameness looks like,” demonstrator Kata Bicskei, 53, told AFP. “That’s the twist, of course. We don’t want everyone to be the same.

” Another protester noted that “humour exposes the absurd”. When the bill was passed, Budapest Pride issued a statement condemning the bigoted law as “not child protection, this is fascism”. “The Hungarian government is trying to restrict peaceful protests with a critical voice by targeting a minority.

Therefore, as a movement, we will fight for the freedom of all Hungarians to protest!,” the statement issued by the group read. “Hungarians are a freedom-loving nation. We know that if the government tries to ban protests with critical voices, they will face resistance from the whole of society.

“That is why we need a scapegoat, a distraction, another wave of hatred...

they lie to their voters about a child protection measure, but there is no child protection in this bill.”Protestors gather in Budapest, Hungary, on an illiberal Pride, stating that everyone should be the same, after the government passes legislation banning the pride marches. (Balint Szentgallay/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Although homosexuality is legal in Hungary and discrimination based on sexuality and gender is against the law, same-sex marriage is defined as between a man and a woman and LGBTQ+ couples cannot adopt children.

In recent years, Orbán’s right-wing government has cracked down on the LGBTQ+ community with legislation that has included banning discussion of LGBTQ+ people in schools and in the media, much like Russia’s “anti-propaganda” bill.In response, the EU launched legal action against Hungary over the law and froze funding due to concerns over LGBTQ+ rights, the asylum system, academic freedoms and more – with the EU stipulating a total of 17 conditions for the central European nation to meet before money is granted. But at the beginning of 2024, Orbán – who has been prime minister of Hungary since 2010 – doubled down on his anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, saying “no money in the world” would make him accept what he called ‘LGBTQ+ propaganda’.

“There is not enough money in the world to force us to let migrants in, and there is not enough money in the world for which we would put our children or grandchildren in the hands of LGBTQ+ activists,” he said in a video posted to Twitter/X. The post Hungary’s Pride ban mocked with ‘Gray Pride’ march: ‘Humour exposes the absurd’ appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news..