Defying a ban, Hungarians saved Budapest Pride and rebuked a prime minister
BUDAPEST — Kristof Steiner woke up Saturday sick, literally, with worry. Usually the day of Budapest's annual Pride parade is one of joy and dancing for the upbeat former TV host who has served as an organizer, promoter and DJ of the event for decades.
But never had the parade been shadowed by such uncertainty and fear. Hungary's authoritarian-minded prime minister Viktor Orban had banned Pride for the first time in its 30 history, taking a page from the strongman playbooks of anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns in Russia, Poland and the United States.
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