Photo taken in June 2021, unrelated to the 2026 parliamentary vote. Image source: Pasztilla / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
On October 13, Hungary's parliament voted 139 to 51 to pass an amendment removing discriminatory anti-LGBTQ provisions from the 2021 "child protection" law. It is the first significant reversal of Viktor Orbán-era curbs on the LGBTQ community since pro-EU Prime Minister Péter Magyar took power in May. The governing Tisza party used its two-thirds parliamentary majority to pass the bill without opposition support; Orbán's Fidesz party voted against it, accusing the government of "neutering" the original law under EU pressure.
At the heart of the amendment is a wording swap: instead of banning the "portrayal" or "promotion" of sexual and gender diversity in content accessible to minors, the new law seeks to protect under-18s from material that can "seriously impair the child's physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development." Child protection is no longer linked to sexual orientation or gender identity. "Fundamentally, our goal was to move away from a flawed paradigm, linking child protection in any way to sexual orientation or gender identities," Szilvia Gyurko, state secretary at the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs, told AFP. Ahead of the vote, Prime Minister Magyar deliberately downplayed the move, casting it not as a restoration of rights but as a strengthening of child-protection rules "regardless of sexual orientation."
The result was welcomed. "The fact that restrictions on access to LGBTQ content are being removed is definitely an important and positive step forward," Tamas Dombos of the Háttér Society rights group told AFP. The vote drew a joint welcome from two European Commissioners — Hadja Lahbib (Equality) and Michael McGrath (Justice) — who welcomed the parliament's adoption of the law repealing the anti-LGBTIQ+ provisions as an "important signal of commitment for our common values", noting the provisions had been found in breach of EU law by the Court of Justice in April.
But activists caution the fight is far from over. The amendment leaves untouched discriminatory language in the Fundamental Law (the constitution) as well as the Freedom of Assembly Act that has been used to ban Pride marches; the ban on legal gender recognition for trans people in force since 2020, the same-sex marriage ban and restrictions on adoption by same-sex couples all remain. Human Rights Watch notes Section 5/A of the Family Protection Act still limits LGBTQ+ content accessible to children, and Article XVI of the constitution on children's rights could continue to justify restrictions. Analysts note Magyar did not address LGBTQ rights during his election campaign and that the amendment responds above all to EU legal obligations; on the same day as the vote, the Council of the EU agreed to lift funding restrictions imposed on Hungary over corruption and rule-of-law concerns, restoring access to 4.2 billion euros in cohesion funds. Whether Hungary moves from a symbolic concession to substantive equality will depend on whether the Tisza government dares to touch constitutional-level discrimination next.
European Editorial Office: Lucas Bakke
Sources: joint statement by EU Commissioners Hadja Lahbib and Michael McGrath (published around Oct 13; corroborated by DW, AFP and ILGA-Europe), AFP, GCN, Hürriyet Daily News, Deutsche Tageszeitung, DW, ILGA-Europe, Worthy News, Vacationer, TrueQueer and public reporting
Reference links:
https://beta.manilatimes.net/2026/10/13/world/hungary-cuts-anti-lgbtq-legislation-from-orban-era-law/2444330/amp
https://gcn.ie/hungary-remove-anti-lgbtq-provisions-orban-law/
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/amp/hungary-cuts-anti-lgbt-legislation-228092
https://www.deutschetageszeitung.de/en/Politics/923653-hungary-cuts-anti-lgbtq-measures-from-orban-era-law.html
https://www.ghanamma.com/2026/10/13/hungary-lawmakers-scrap-orban-era-anti-lgbtq-provisions/
https://www.ilga-europe.org/news/hungary-repeals-anti-propaganda-law/
https://www.worthynews.com/118219-rights-groups-urge-hungary-to-go-further-after-repeal-of-orban-era-anti-lgbtq-restrictions-worthy-news-in-depth
https://www.vacationer.travel/hungary-outlaws-pride-festivals-in-latest-anti-lgbtq-crackdown/
https://truequeer.com/posts/hungary-parliament-passes-child-protection-law-repeal-2026/