Hungary's parliament votes to remove anti-LGBTQ provisions from 2021 child protection law

Centre · 2Hungary's parliament voted on Tuesday 13 October 2026 to amend a 2021 "child protection" law passed under former prime minister Viktor Orbán, removing its anti-LGBTQ provisions; the bill passed with 139 votes in favour and 51 against. 1 2 Centre · 1France 24 (AFP copy) described it as the first significant reversal of Orbán's curbs on LGBTQ people since Prime Minister Péter Magyar took power in May. 1 Centre · 2The 2021 law had banned the "portrayal or promotion of homosexuality or transgenderism" in content accessible to children. Instead, the new law will seek to protect under-18s from material that can "seriously impair the child's physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development". 3 1

Centre · 1Deutsche Welle said the amendment repeals most of the statute except the provision protecting under-18s from sexually explicit or violent material, and that under the old law books on these topics could only be sold in black plastic packaging with warnings. 2 Centre · 2The original law was criticised for stigmatising LGBTQ people and equating same-sex relations with paedophilia. Last year it was amended to serve as the basis for banning Pride marches, and in April the European Court of Justice ruled that it violated EU values. 1 2 Centre · 2Magyar's Tisza party holds a two-thirds majority, the same size Orbán's Fidesz once had, and passed the bill without opposition support. Fidesz and its ally the Christian Democrats voted against; the Christian Democrats said "There is no place for the promotion of LGBTQ content in schools or the media." 3 1

Centre · 2Magyar did not address LGBTQ rights in his campaign. Before the vote he said the changes would align Hungary with EU rules and cast them as strengthening child protection "regardless of sexual orientation"; in an interview published on Saturday he said he was "very cautious" on issues such as sexual minorities. 1 3 Centre · 2Tamás Dombos of the Háttér Society called it "an important and positive step forward" and said it removes "homophobic and transphobic provisions", but noted "there is still a lot to do", including laws on legal recognition of transgender people, same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage. 1 3 Centre · 1Human Rights Watch said "other discriminatory provisions" remain, as the bill did not address discriminatory language in the constitution or the Freedom of Assembly Act restrictions used to prohibit Pride. 1

Centre · 2Minutes after the vote, Budapest said the EU had agreed to release €4.2bn in funds frozen under the Fidesz government; EU commissioners Michael McGrath and Hadja Lahbib welcomed "this important signal of commitment for our common values". The BBC links the measures to a package of laws unravelling Fidesz-era legislation, while DW's wording ties the unfreezing to the vote. 3 2