A Hungarian law banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools came into force on Thursday, as the European Parliament voted to use its legal and economic muscle to pressure the east European nation to repeal the legislation.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation spoke to four people from Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community about the impact of the ban:
Andrea Terez Sztraka, LGBTQ+ education charity worker
“Many of my homosexual friends are depressed,” said Sztraka, 29, of the Getting to Know LGBT People (GTK) programme, which has run volunteer-led sessions challenging homophobia and transphobia in Hungarian schools since 2000.
“They are scared. They don’t know how they can live their lives and many of those who were planning to have children feel hopeless.”
The programme used to receive about 40 invitations a year from schools, reaching up to 1,500 students.
But that changed in 2019 when state-run media ran disparaging stories about GTK and far-right groups began to picket its meetings, hurling abuse at attendees, Sztraka said.
A photo of a teacher who attended a GTK meeting about countering the bullying of LGBTQ+ children was published online, along with allegations that he was “corrupting children” and spreading “LGBTQ propaganda”.
“Teachers became scared to invite our programme because they feared the consequences,” Sztraka said.
Imre Marton, volunteer LGBTQ+ educator
“Hate is elementary now in the government,” said Marton, a 53-year-old GTK volunteer.
“The LGBT+ community is the next enemy and I do not want to be part of this anymore. I feel ashamed to be Hungarian.”
Marton only realised he was gay after fathering three children and a period of almost 15 “lost” years, which included so-called conversion therapy – a practice that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
If the GTK programme had existed then, “everything would have been clearer”, he said in emailed comments.
Marton found the opportunity to support vulnerable LGBTQ+ kids – and change people’s minds about gay people – life-affirming. But he fears the new law will force people back into the closet.
“We will go back to the dark days of communism, when homosexuality ‘did not exist at all’,” he said. “I will also think twice about kissing my boyfriend on the street.”
“I hate my country. I am angry and desperate. The government generates and supports hate. In my country, I’m criminalised as a paedophile … I don’t want to live here anymore.”
The post Hungarians speak out on anti-LGBTQ+ law as EU pushes for its repeal appeared first on GAY TIMES.
Hungarians speak out on anti-LGBTQ+ law as EU pushes for its repeal
A Hungarian law banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools came into force on Thursday, as the European Parliament voted to use its legal and economic muscle to pressure the east European nation to repeal the legislation.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation spoke to four people from Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community about the impact of the ban:
Andrea Terez Sztraka, LGBTQ+ education charity worker
“Many of my homosexual friends are depressed,” said Sztraka, 29, of the Getting to Know LGBT People (GTK) programme, which has run volunteer-led sessions challenging homophobia and transphobia in Hungarian schools since 2000.
“They are scared. They don’t know how they can live their lives and many of those who were planning to have children feel hopeless.”
The programme used to receive about 40 invitations a year from schools, reaching up to 1,500 students.
But that changed in 2019 when state-run media ran disparaging stories about GTK and far-right groups began to picket its meetings, hurling abuse at attendees, Sztraka said.
A photo of a teacher who attended a GTK meeting about countering the bullying of LGBTQ+ children was published online, along with allegations that he was “corrupting children” and spreading “LGBTQ propaganda”.
“Teachers became scared to invite our programme because they feared the consequences,” Sztraka said.
Imre Marton, volunteer LGBTQ+ educator
“Hate is elementary now in the government,” said Marton, a 53-year-old GTK volunteer.
“The LGBT+ community is the next enemy and I do not want to be part of this anymore. I feel ashamed to be Hungarian.”
Marton only realised he was gay after fathering three children and a period of almost 15 “lost” years, which included so-called conversion therapy – a practice that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
If the GTK programme had existed then, “everything would have been clearer”, he said in emailed comments.
Marton found the opportunity to support vulnerable LGBTQ+ kids – and change people’s minds about gay people – life-affirming. But he fears the new law will force people back into the closet.
“We will go back to the dark days of communism, when homosexuality ‘did not exist at all’,” he said. “I will also think twice about kissing my boyfriend on the street.”
“I hate my country. I am angry and desperate. The government generates and supports hate. In my country, I’m criminalised as a paedophile … I don’t want to live here anymore.”
The post Hungarians speak out on anti-LGBTQ+ law as EU pushes for its repeal appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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