Hungary amends constitution, bans public LGBTQ+ gatherings to 'prioritize children's rights'
April 14 (UPI) -- Hungary's parliament amended its constitution Monday to ban public LGBTQ+ gatherings, as it declared children's rights to "moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any right other than the right to life."
The amendment, which required a two-thirds vote, passed by a vote of 140 to 21 along party lines.
"Hungary's National Assembly has passed the 15th amendment to the Fundamental Law," announced government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs in a post on X.
It is a "constitutional safeguard against ideological influences that they argue threaten the well-being of children, particularly in the context of events like Pride parades," he added. "The sweeping changes prioritize children's rights."
While the new amendment alleges LGBTQ+ pride marches are harmful to children, critics call it another step toward authoritarianism.
"This whole endeavor which we see launched by the government, it has nothing to do with children's rights," said Dániel Döbrentey, a lawyer with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, who called it "pure propaganda."
"It's not just about pride, it's about any assembly that is organized by the opposition," Momentum MP David Beto told the BBC. "This is only the first step they're taking in this one year campaign, and we are going to see many more laws enacted and passed in parliament that is very much against any democracy or any rule of law."
The amendment, which comes after a law was passed last month to ban LGBTQ+ pride marches, will allow the Hungarian government to temporarily suspend the citizenship of any dual nationals who are determined to be a threat to the country's security. It also mandates two genders.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been in office since 2010, praised the legislation after declaring last month, "We won't let woke ideology endanger our kids."
"Hungary's constitutional amendment is now law," Orban wrote Monday in a post on X.
"We're protecting children's development, affirming that a person is born either male or female and standing firm against drugs and foreign interference," he said.
"In Hungary, common sense matters."
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