Hungary’s New Law Allows Locals to Report on Same-Sex Families

Apr 13, 2023

Share

(Bloomberg) -- Hungarian lawmakers passed a bill that enables citizens to report anonymously on same-sex couples who raise children to authorities.

As part of the law, approved earlier this week, people are allowed to report those who contest the “constitutionally recognized role of marriage and the family” and those who contest children’s rights “to an identity appropriate to their sex at birth.”

Hungary’s constitution protects the institution of marriage as a formation “between one man and one woman,” and also specifies “the mother is a woman, the father a man.”

The latest bill also covers wide ranging measures to make sure authorities investigate complaints over everything from alleged workplace misconduct to corruption.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s governments have curbed the rights of the country’s LGBTQ community and effectively barred adoption for same-sex couples. That was one of the reasons why Hungary was cut off from European Union funding.

In 2022, the European Commission brought a lawsuit before the European Court of Justice against Hungary for a 2021 law that discriminates against LGBTQ minorities. A majority of member states have joined the lawsuit on the commission’s side.

(Updates with details of the law in fourth paragraph.)

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.