Budapest Pride March Draws Thousands In Protest Against Government's Anti-LGBT Moves

An estimated 10,000 people took part in a Pride march in the Hungarian capital on July 15. Participants protested against tightening restrictions over public displays of LGBT identity. One protester carried a poster asking: “Are you going to wrap me in foil, too?” -- a reference to a bookstore having been imposed a hefty fine for the sale of an LGBT-themed graphic novel, Heartstopper, without closed wrapping. In 2021, Prime Minister Viktor Orban banned the "display and promotion of homosexuality" among those under 18 in books and films. On the eve of the Pride event, the embassies of the United States, Germany, and 36 other countries urged Hungary to protect LGBT rights and scrap discriminatory laws.