Hostile school environment and no government partnership with civil society: -5/10 | There is no evidence of the government providing funding or working in partnership with civil society: 0/10 | The government provides funding and works in partnership with civil society to promote inclusive education for one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10
Discrimination and violence against LGBTQI people remains common in Hungary. Hostile political rhetoric against LGBTQI people and so-called “gender ideology” has rapidly escalated over the past few years. Hate speech by politicians is rampant.
ECRI has noted that the human rights of LGBTQI persons have significantly deteriorated due to increasingly hostile political discourse, the adoption of restrictive laws and the dismantling of the Equal Treatment Authority.
Civil society organisations, particularly those receiving foreign funding, are stigmatised, ostracised, and harassed.
LGBTQI youth are common targets of harassment and bullying. Bullying of LGBTQI pupils remains widespread.
Schools, companies, and NGOs have also firmly stood against the 2021 propaganda law. A referendum on parts of the law, held on April 3, 2022, aimed at further increasing discrimination as well as stigmatisation of LGBTQI persons in Hungary. The referendum, however, failed to reach the necessary threshold of 50% of registered voters casting a valid vote, and its results were thus considered invalid. LGBTQI and human rights NGOs had previously called for citizens to give invalid answers. The campaign was successful with 1.700.000 invalid votes, although the participating NGOs received a fine, claiming that calling for invalid votes is an abuse of right and runs counter to the constitutional goal of direct democracy. All decisions ordering a fine were overturned except for two; Háttér Society and Amnesty International Hungary submitted an application to the European Court of Human Rights claiming the violation of their freedom of expression. The case is pending.
In 2023, a far-right website published a list of LGBTQI and friendly teachers. The National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information launched an investigation ex officio, Háttér Society’s complaint was merged with it. No decision has been delivered yet.
Some teachers have reportedly lost their jobs for speaking about feminism, LGBTQI and progressive issues in the classroom.
A fairy tale collection called ‘A Fairytale for Everyone’, published by Labrisz Lesbian Association in 2020, suffered focused political attacks in 2020-2021. The book retells traditional fairy tales with diverse characters from various social minorities, including LGBTQI people, and helps children aged 6-12, parents and teachers to approach ‘sensitive’ or ‘taboo’ social issues. Attacks included hostile political communication about LGBTQI people and legislation restricting access to the book.
The school program ‘Getting to Know LGBT People’ run by Labrisz Lesbian Association and Szimpozion Association has also been targeted by legislation prohibiting such school programs from visiting schools. As a result, the program has not received invitations from state schools since the 2021 Autumn semester.
Due to the anti-LGBTQI law (or propaganda law) passed in June 2021, access to schools by external experts and organisations for the purposes of holding classes – among others – on sexuality is impossible. The National Public Education Act gives the power to the minister responsible for education to issue a decree which designates the state organ maintaining the registry of experts and civil society organisations that may hold sex education classes in institutions of public education. Further, it authorises the minister to regulate in a decree the exact conditions of registration. The draft of the decree was published for public consultation in early January 2025, but it has not been passed yet. The school program ‘Getting to Know LGBT People’ run by Labrisz Lesbian Association and Szimpozion Association was also discontinued as since the 2021 Autumn semester it has not received invitations from state schools as a result of the propaganda law.
In April 2025, the Hungarian parliament approved the bill banning pride parades in Hungary under the pretext of “child protection”, claiming that pride events go against the country’s 2021 law preventing the promotion and depiction of homosexuality to minors.
The government does not provide funding, and actively works against NGOs in relation to LGBTQI inclusive education.
