More than 30 embassies [including Switzerland] urge Hungary to protect LGBTQ+ rights ahead of Pride Festival

Multiple embassies and various cultural institutions from over 30 countries released a joint statement on Friday supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Hungary, ahead of the 28th Budapest Pride Festival. Signatories to the statement included the US, the UK, Ukraine, France, Germany, Italy and others. The group emphasized the importance of revoking laws that discriminate against LGBT people. The statement says that signatories reject and condemn all acts of violence, stigmatization and discrimination against LGBT people. It also stresses the need to eliminate political rhetoric that contributes to discrimination.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has banned “gay propaganda,” which he defines as any content that is believed to “promote” homosexuality in schools or in the media. His government fined Hungary’s largest booksellers for selling the LGBT novel “Heartstopper” without closed wrapping. Orban and his right-wing Fidesz party have pushed many anti-LGBT actions, including urging voters to redefine the definition of marriage to exclude same-sex couples, limiting the ability of those couples to adopt and revoking the legal recognition of transgender individuals.

The European Commission launched a lawsuit last year saying that Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws are highly discriminatory. The lawsuit was supported by 15 EU governments including France, Germany and Slovenia. Italy and Poland were not in support of the lawsuit. Despite this lawsuit and the reaction of the international community, Orban continues to defend his style of governance.

The post More than 30 embassies urge Hungary to protect LGBTQ+ rights ahead of Pride Festival appeared first on JURIST – News.

___________________________________________________

Joint Statement on the Occasion of the 28th Budapest Pride Festival

July 14, 2023

On the occasion of the 28th Budapest Pride Festival, we the undersigned embassies and cultural institutes express our full support for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) community in Hungary and their rights to equality and non-discrimination, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and freedom from violence.  Respect for the rule of law and universal human rights are the foundations upon which democratic states are built. International human rights law is grounded on the broad premise that all individuals have the same rights and freedoms without discrimination.

We reject and condemn all acts of violence, hate speech, harassment, stigmatization and discrimination committed against individuals and communities on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics and support the fight against such acts.  In this regard, we are concerned with legislation and political rhetoric, including in Hungary, that is in tension with principles of non-discrimination, international human rights law and human dignity, and contributes to stigmatization of the LGBTQI+ community.  We stress the need for leaders and governments, here and elsewhere, to show respect for and protect the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals and communities, and to eliminate laws and policies that discriminate against them.

We stress the inviolability of human dignity, the right to freedom of expression and information, the right to private and family life, and the right to non-discrimination for all.

Furthermore, we welcome the important advocacy of LGBTQI+ grassroots human rights defenders, activists, journalists, media workers and civil society organizations working to ensure that all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, receive equal treatment and the full protection of the law.

Celebrating diversity is an important way to promote respect for human rights for all. Budapest Pride has the longest history of such events in the region, and we highlight its role in promoting equality of treatment and social acceptance for all LGBTQI+ persons, and contributing to the creation of a more open, just, inclusive and equal society.

Signed by the Following Embassies and Cultural Institutes:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, The United States, Ukraine, Uruguay, General Delegation of Flanders, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, Austrian Cultural Forum Budapest, British Council, Czech Center, Estonian Institute, FinnAgora, Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, Instituto Camões, Instituto Cervantes

Source: https://hu.usembassy.gov/news-joint-statement-on-the-occasion-of-the-28th-budapest-pride-festival/