EU nations take stand against Hungary’s anti-LGBT law

Brussels, Jun 25 (EFE).- A proposal from the Hungarian government to ban LGBT educational content in schools met robust opposition from European Union leaders during a two-day summit that concluded Friday.

Only Poland, Hungary’s traditional ally in the EU, and Slovenia, whose prime minister is known as the Donald Trump of Europe, backed Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s legislation.

The debate about the proposed legislation, which the Hungarian government has pinned to broader laws against pedophilia — a conflation that has been described as offensive in and of itself — could yet face legal action from Brussels.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, described it as a “shame” that ran against EU values.

EU leaders said they had an “emotional” and “frank” debate on the matter at the summit.

Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, who is currently the only openly gay national leader in the EU said the most difficult thing in his personal life was to accept himself as a gay man and that the law could further stigmatize the LGBT community.

He questioned how watching a movie or a TV series could make someone gay, adding that being gay was not a “choice.”

Orban continues to insist that the law, which also applies stricter controls on adult material in movies and pornography, was not against homosexuality.

One of the fiercest critics of Orban’s position was the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, who said Hungary had “no place” in the EU.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, also tackled the issue, questioning how the EU could accept a member that acted against EU values.