Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar is facing a backlash after appointing the country’s “first LGBT activist” as education minister.
The leader of the Tisza Party, who earlier this month unseated Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz, announced his 12 cabinet picks in a Facebook post on Friday as he moves to establish a new government.
Judit Lannert was appointed minister of education and childcare, a choice that surprised some who had expected the position to go to Rita Rubovszky, headmistress of a Cistercian Catholic school. Lannert is known for her criticism of the previous administration, and has drawn media attention for displaying LGBTQ-themed colors on social media during debates over constitutional changes under Orbán.
RT reports: The move came a day after a proposal to launch an LGBTQ-themed TV channel was submitted to Hungary’s media regulator, according to Magyar Nemzet.
Under Orban, Hungary introduced limits on LGBTQ-related content for minors. A 2021 child protection law, adopted alongside measures against pedophilia, restricted how gender and sexuality topics can be presented in schools and media.
At the time, Orban said the legislation ensured that parents retain authority over their children’s sexual education, calling it a defense of national sovereignty against Western liberal influence.
Nine days after Orban’s election defeat, the European Court of Justice ruled that the reforms violate EU law, ordering Hungary to roll back the restrictions on promoting homosexuality and gender transition in the media for minors. The court said the measures “stigmatize and marginalize LGBTQ individuals” and violate human dignity and freedom of expression.
”The Brusselian steamroller is already in motion,” Orban wrote on X, arguing that the law was meant to protect Hungarian children from “aggressive LGBTQ propaganda.”
“Now the Brusselian empire strikes back,” he added, vowing that his party would not “give up the fight for the soul of Europe.”