Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
has called for a referendum on a controversial anti-LGBT law that
recently took effect.
The law prohibits the discussion of
LGBT issues, including transgenderism and homosexuality, to minors.
It is being compared to Russia's 2013 law that prohibits “gay
propaganda.” Russia has used the law to silence LGBT activists.
(Related: Hungary
Bans LGBT content in schools.)
European leaders have called for
sanctions against Hungary over the law.
Calling the ban a “child protection
law,” Orban criticized the EU for its opposition to the law.
“In the past weeks, Brussels has
clearly attacked Hungary over its child protection law,” he wrote
on Facebook. “Hungarian laws do not permit sexual propaganda in
kindergartens, schools, on television and in advertisements.”
According to Aljazeera, Orban
has not set a date for the referendum.
The BBC reported on Saturday that
Budapest's annual Pride march was attended by thousands of people.
Revelers waved rainbow flags in protest of the law.
“In the past two years, we've had a
government attack against the LGBTQI community, a lot of hate speech
and also adoption of restrictive legislation when it comes to
transgender rights, adoption, and most recently, a Russian-style
propaganda law,” Tamás
Dombos, board member of Háttér
Society, an LGBT rights group, told the BBC.