Tens of thousands braved the scorching temperatures to celebrate the Budapest Pride parade on Saturday, the first since the election defeat of Viktor Orban, who tried to ban the event last year.
“I think the situation is getting better and better, mainly because of the change in government,” 18-year-old Petra Toth, who was attending her first Pride with her girlfriend, told AFP.
In April, pro-EU conservative Prime Minister Peter Magyar and his Tisza party won a landslide victory, ending Orban’s 16 years in power.
Orban’s government was widely regarded as having some of the European Union’s most restrictive LGBTQ+ policies.
Record turnout at Budapest Pride march in 2025
Last year, a record-breaking crowd took to the streets of Budapest, with an estimated 200,000 participants openly defying a sweeping government ban.
Orban’s government had passed legislation and a constitutional amendment banning the march, arguing that Pride events violated children’s rights to moral and spiritual development.
The massive turnout was seen as a strong rebuke of Orban’s years-long anti-LGBTQ+ crackdown.
Orban introduced laws banning adoption by same-sex couples, prohibiting changes to gender on official documents, and restricting school materials seen as promoting homosexuality or gender transition.
What’s the new Hungarian PM Magyar’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights?
So far, Magyar has not announced any specific measures to reverse Orban-era legislation restricting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. He had asked for patience when asked by Hungarian media.
Since his election victory, Magyar has insisted his government should not dictate how Hungarians should live.
Asked whether his government would allow same-sex marriage or adoption earlier this month, Magyar said: “We have made it clear that, in our view, everyone is free to love whom they want and live with whom they want, as long as they do not violate the law.”
“If there is a demand for us to discuss such socially and politically sensitive issues… we are open to that,” Magyar added.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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