Even if Viktor Orban loses power, Hungary’s embattled LGBTQ community faces a long battle for rights, with the main opposition avoiding the issue and deep societal hostility remaining.
PÉCS: LGBTQ rights activists in Hungary say relief for their embattled community is not guaranteed even if nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban loses next month’s election.
Orban, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, has led a years-long crackdown culminating in an unprecedented EU-wide ban on Pride marches.
His main challenger, conservative Peter Magyar, leads in polls but avoids taking a clear stance on LGBTQ rights.
Rights activist Geza Buzas-Habel said just “returning to legal conditions before Orban’s tenure would be an improvement.”
He insisted that “we still have a lot to do” even if Orban goes.
“The main opposition is unwilling to communicate on LGBTQ rights, so we must pressure them,” the 32-year-old added.
The issue has been largely absent from the campaign, despite last year’s Pride ban sparking one of the strongest street challenges to Orban’s rule.
Record crowds defied the law to join parades in Budapest and Pecs.
“Hundreds of thousands went, risking fines… It felt like a breath of fresh air after all these measures suffocating us,” said Hella Zsirka of the Hatter Society.
A barrage of anti-LGBTQ measures has fuelled hostility, Zsirka explained.
She recalled a case where a man threatened a lesbian couple on a tram.
“When we took the case to court, the attacker stated that he did it because according to Orban, it’s right (to do this).”
Many activists are disappointed the opposition ignores their cause.
Analyst Andrea Virag says Magyar is “courting more conservative voters in smaller towns.”
She believes Magyar is convinced his anti-government urban base will support his TISZA party regardless.
Orban’s Fidesz party is also reluctant to revisit the issue after miscalculating public mood on Pride.
Activists fear an Orban victory could embolden the government to take a harsher stance.
Party hardliners have indicated they would enforce the Pride ban this year if Fidesz stays in power.
Fidesz spokesman Balazs Nemeth told AFP that “this issue must be dealt with after the election.”
Activists now face uncertain futures amid a broader crackdown on civil society.
Buzas-Habel, who organised Pecs Pride, is facing criminal charges due to the ban.
He lost his teaching job in 2024 over what he calls a political order “from high up.”
He has since applied for multiple posts but was asked by institutions to “wait for the April vote.”
