EU Takes Hungary To The Court Over The Ban Of An Anti-LGBT Law

The European Commission decided to sue Hungary on Friday over an anti-LGBT law by taking the country to the E.U.’s highest court.

The European Commission had already tried for about a year to make Hungary change the law that bans content promoting homosexuality. According to the Commission, it “discriminates against people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

“The Commission considers that the law violates the internal market rules, the fundamental rights of individuals (in particular LGBTIQ people) as well as—with regard to those fundamental rights—the EU values,” the statement said.

This conflict over the anti-LGBT law started last year when Hungary’s right-wing governing party banned the depiction of homosexuality or sex reassignment in media targeting minors under 18. Information on homosexuality was also forbidden in school sex education programs, or in films and advertisements accessible to minors.

The governing Fidesz party argued that “the measures were meant to protect children from pedophilia.” However, the law caused a stir all over the country, which ultimately led to large protests in the capital, Budapest. Various critics, including numerous international rights organizations, said the measures served to stigmatize LGBTQ people and conflate them with pedophiles.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the law as “a shame” and made it a point of pride to counter it with legal procedures. “The Commission decided to bring the case to court because the Hungarian authorities have not sufficiently addressed the Commission’s concerns and have not included any commitment from Hungary to remedy the situation,” European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said.