The Budapest Pride turns the city into an island against the authoritarian regime, our Research Fellow Thiago Amparo writes in his article in Folha de S. Paulo.
With the press controlled by Prime Minister Orban's allies, even more value are placed on protests and public acts in Hungary. For a country accustomed to remembering its history even in bar table conversations, the historical backdrop of the parade does not go unnoticed, he argues, adding that the march once again took place on the city’s main avenue after years in which extremist groups reserved it in advance, precisely to prevent the LGBTQ+ parade from passing through. Now, the Budapest Pride has outnumbered and outshone the counter-demonstration of extremists who traditionally attend on the same day and time.
He also describes the political environment, in which Fidesz, governing party, proposed and passed a law against LGBTQ+ people in 2021 under the alleged pretext of protecting children from content that encourages gender reassignment and homosexuality. Hungary also banned trans people from rectifying their gender on documents and the adoption of children by same-sex couples.
At the same time, social acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in the country has never been higher: opinion polls show that 71% of Hungarians reject the idea that gays and lesbians endanger children, he writes.
Read the full article (in Portuguese, subscription may be required) here.