Target: László Kövér, Speaker of National Assembly of Hungary
Goal: Lift ban on public gatherings held in support of LGBTQ+ community during Pride month.
A standoff is taking place in Hungary over the authoritarian government’s repressive new restrictions on Pride events. In early 2025, the Hungarian Parliament – under the “guidance” of Prime Minister Viktor Orban – passed a law forbidding any LGBTQ+ public gatherings from taking place during Pride month, under threat of criminal retribution. The law even greenlights the use of facial recognition software to identify supposed offenders.
Protests immediately began in the wake of the decision. The government claimed it was enforcing a “child protection” law that has prohibited exposure of LGBTQ+ content to minors. Critics accuse the Orban regime of demonizing sexual minorities to distract from the country’s deepening economic crises. As the coordinator of an LGBTQ+ rights group stated, “It’s a very common strategy of authoritarian governments not to talk about the real issues that people are affected by: the inflation, the economy, the terrible condition of education and health care.” A major test of the law will come, as the mayor of Hungarian city Budapest has vowed to hold the city’s annual scheduled Pride event despite the threats.
Sign the petition below to support this fight against oppression and to urge the country’s leadership to reverse their anti-rights stance.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Kövér,
Thousands of protesters and many of your own colleagues have made their voices heard and their dissent known in regard to the newly enacted ban on Pride month gatherings. This law strikes at the very heart of the right to public and peaceful assembly in Hungary. The justification for this law is based on an outdated and false attempt to link homosexuality with pedophilia: a belief disproven time and again through scientific research and statistical realities.
Pride marches are an affirmation of free expression, equality, and diversity. This nation is experiencing enough turmoil without its government actively exacerbating the problem. Please rescind these hateful laws that do nothing but divide.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Sander Dalhuisen
