EU nation incorporates recognition of two genders into its constitution
Hungary's parliament has enacted a constitutional amendment that recognizes only two genders: male and female. This decision contrasts with broader European Union policies concerning LGBTQ rights. The amendment to the Basic Law, put forward...
TroibNews 
Hungary's parliament has enacted a constitutional amendment that recognizes only two genders: male and female. This decision contrasts with broader European Union policies concerning LGBTQ rights.
The amendment to the Basic Law, put forward by the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition, was approved on Monday with 140 votes in favor and 21 against, with no abstentions.
As a result of the changes, the constitution now asserts that Hungary will safeguard marriage as the voluntary “union of one man and one woman” and regards the family as essential for the nation’s survival. It stipulates that family ties should be grounded in marriage or the relationship between parents and their children, stating, “The mother shall be a woman; the father shall be a man.”
Additionally, the amendment establishes a prohibition on public LGBTQ+ events and asserts that children's rights to moral, physical, and spiritual development take precedence over any other fundamental rights, except the right to life.
In 2020, Hungary ceased the legal recognition of transgender individuals, and in 2021, it revised its child protection laws to ban the promotion of LGBTQ content in media, advertising, and educational resources accessible to minors. These actions have drawn criticism in Brussels, prompting the European Commission to initiate legal proceedings against Budapest, referring the matter to the European Court of Justice and suspending billions in EU funds over alleged breaches of fundamental rights.
Prior to Monday's vote, opposition legislators and protesters attempted to block access to the parliamentary parking area to prevent lawmakers from the ruling party from entering. During the session, opposition members utilized air horns in an effort to disrupt proceedings. They have condemned the amendments as a regression from democratic principles and an attack on the essential values of the EU, which Hungary has been part of since 2004.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban commented on the amendment, insisting that the international gender network “must take its hands off our children.”
He remarked, referencing former US President Donald Trump's reversal of long-standing policies supporting diversity and inclusion, “Now, with the change in America, the winds have shifted in our favor.”
In December, Orban proclaimed that the West's 500-year dominance was ended and predicted that the "coming century will be the century of Eurasia,” stating that the attempt to ‘westernize’ the world had failed and that countries which uphold their values will thrive.
Recently, a similar initiative to codify two genders also progressed in Slovakia, another member of the EU, as a draft constitutional law passed its second reading.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
The amendment to the Basic Law, put forward by the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition, was approved on Monday with 140 votes in favor and 21 against, with no abstentions.
As a result of the changes, the constitution now asserts that Hungary will safeguard marriage as the voluntary “union of one man and one woman” and regards the family as essential for the nation’s survival. It stipulates that family ties should be grounded in marriage or the relationship between parents and their children, stating, “The mother shall be a woman; the father shall be a man.”
Additionally, the amendment establishes a prohibition on public LGBTQ+ events and asserts that children's rights to moral, physical, and spiritual development take precedence over any other fundamental rights, except the right to life.
In 2020, Hungary ceased the legal recognition of transgender individuals, and in 2021, it revised its child protection laws to ban the promotion of LGBTQ content in media, advertising, and educational resources accessible to minors. These actions have drawn criticism in Brussels, prompting the European Commission to initiate legal proceedings against Budapest, referring the matter to the European Court of Justice and suspending billions in EU funds over alleged breaches of fundamental rights.
Prior to Monday's vote, opposition legislators and protesters attempted to block access to the parliamentary parking area to prevent lawmakers from the ruling party from entering. During the session, opposition members utilized air horns in an effort to disrupt proceedings. They have condemned the amendments as a regression from democratic principles and an attack on the essential values of the EU, which Hungary has been part of since 2004.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban commented on the amendment, insisting that the international gender network “must take its hands off our children.”
He remarked, referencing former US President Donald Trump's reversal of long-standing policies supporting diversity and inclusion, “Now, with the change in America, the winds have shifted in our favor.”
In December, Orban proclaimed that the West's 500-year dominance was ended and predicted that the "coming century will be the century of Eurasia,” stating that the attempt to ‘westernize’ the world had failed and that countries which uphold their values will thrive.
Recently, a similar initiative to codify two genders also progressed in Slovakia, another member of the EU, as a draft constitutional law passed its second reading.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
