26th June 2025
As thousands prepare to take to the streets for Dublin Pride on 28th June, a very different reality is unfolding in Hungary. Budapest Pride is at risk of being banned and LGBTQI+ rights are under threat. The Hungarian government recently passed laws prohibiting pro-LGBTQI+ assemblies, effectively banning Pride outright.
Representatives from national and regional LGBTQI+ organisations in Ireland, including LGBT Ireland, recently returned from an exchange visit to Budapest to meet with local LGBTQI+ and civil society organisations.
“Pride is more than a celebration – it is a vibrant and visible movement for human rights and equality. We don’t claim things are perfect here in Ireland,” said Paula Fagan, CEO of LGBT Ireland. “But we can march. We can show our pride. That freedom is something many of us take for granted – and right now, in Hungary, it’s being stripped away in front of our eyes.”
Ms. Fagan added: “Our time in Budapest was eye-opening. The LGBTQI+ community in Hungary is feeling embattled – we heard a number of times that this has been the toughest year in a series of tough years. International attention and solidarity are crucial. But tangible support and action from political leaders in the EU and Member States – including Ireland – is urgently needed to hold the Hungarian government accountable for its flagrant disregard of EU and international human rights law and standards. The LGBTQI+ community in Hungary needs our support now more than ever.”
Erasing LGBTQI+ People
The anti-Pride laws build on Hungary’s infamous 2021 “Propaganda Law,” which bans the so-called “promotion” of LGBTQI+ identities to minors – creating a chilling effect in schools, bookstores, libraries and the media, and a deeply hostile environment for LGBTQI+ people.
Even books like Heartstopper, the beloved graphic novel that inspired the hit Netflix series, could be restricted for simply depicting LGBTQI+ lives and relationships.
The Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court, is currently hearing a case against Hungary over the Propaganda Law, with Ireland among 16 Member States backing the European Commission’s challenge. Earlier this month, its Advocate General issued her Opinion, finding Hungary’s anti-LGBTQI+ legislation to be in breach of EU law, fundamental rights and values.
Pride Marches On – But the Laws Remain
Despite this, Budapest Pride is due to take place this Saturday. Organisers refuse to allow intimidation and repression to silence the LGBTQI+ community and Budapest’s Mayor announced Pride will go ahead as a municipal celebration of freedom.
Whatever happens on the day of Budapest Pride, the broader implications of these new laws and the threat to LGBTQI+ rights in Hungary remain dangerously real.
The Hungarian Parliament not only passed an anti-Pride law, it also adopted a constitutional amendment to enshrine this and other forms of anti-LGBTQI+ discrimination. The Amendment introduces a constitutional ban on both Pride and legal gender recognition for transgender, non-binary and intersex people.
These laws are part of a broader pattern of repression under Viktor Orbán’s government, which has consistently targeted LGBTQI+ communities and civil society. Now a proposed “Transparency in Public Life” law threatens to shut down civil society and media critical of the government. If enacted, the Bill would enable the government to target, defund and dissolve any organisation it designates as “a threat to Hungarian sovereignty”.
Pride – An Urgent Call to Action
This year, Pride must be more than a celebration. It must be an urgent call for solidarity and action at the EU level – from Member States and European institutions. It is crucial they stand with the LGBTQI+ community in Hungary:
- Publicly speak out against Hungary’s anti-LGBTQI+ and anti-civil society laws, and call for them to be repealed;
- Call for the EU institutions to use all available enforcement mechanisms to protect LGBTQI+ rights in all member states, including infringement proceedings;
- Support funding and protection for grassroots LGBTQI+ groups working under threat whose funding and essential work is at risk.
With Budapest Pride and Dublin Pride both taking place this weekend, now is the time to show that Europe will not tolerate the erosion of human rights.
As Budapest Pride and Dublin Pride take place this weekend, we’re calling on the LGBTQI+ community across Ireland to show solidarity. Take Action Today!