ICYMI: KEATING, TAKANO LEAD COLLEAGUES IN CONDEMNING HUNGARY’S ANTI-LGBTQ LEGISLATION & CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Washington, D.C. – Today, Subcommittee on Europe Ranking Member Bill Keating and Equality Caucus Co-Chair Mark Takano led 20 colleagues on a letter to Secretary Rubio condemning new Hungarian legislation and constitutional amendments that ban Pride marches and permit the use of facial recognition software to stifle free speech and expression. The letter calls on the Secretary to publicly condemn this harmful legislation which undermines the human and civil rights of all Hungarians.

“For 15 years, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has undermined democracy in Hungary and targeted marginalized groups to achieve his authoritarian goals. This recent legislation and subsequent constitutional amendments make a mockery of the central tenets of any democracy: freedom of speech, expression, and assembly,” said Ranking Member Keating. “As Hungary cracks down on the rights of the LGBTQ community, leaders from across Europe and the world have condemned this harmful legislation which undermines the rights and civil liberties of all Hungarians. Secretary Rubio’s silence on this issue is shameful, and I urge him to make clear his full condemnation of this legislation.”

“The United States used to not be afraid of standing up to the would-be tyrants of the world that would limit free speech and the right to assemble of the LGBTQI+ community and their allies,” said Rep. Mark Takano, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. “Prime Minister Orban’s weaponization of government against minority communities like the LGBTQI+ community, including through laws and constitutional amendments which disproportionately and arbitrarily target sexual and gender minorities, must be called out. The U.S. has a duty to condemn these attacks and stand up for the human rights of LGBTQI+ people. I join my colleagues in urging Secretary Rubio to do what is right and condemn this law and constitutional amendment that undermine the rights of Hungarians to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

Text of the letter is below, and a copy is attached.

April 30, 2025

The Honorable Marco Rubio
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State

Dear Secretary Rubio,

We condemn and write with extreme concern regarding the anti-democratic actions of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has used corruption, influence peddling, and malign acts to crack down on the LGBTQ community in Hungary. We strongly urge you to raise significant concerns with your counterparts in Orban’s government regarding the March 18 law and April 14 constitutional amendment which undermine the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly of the LGBTQ community and their allies, violate the human and civil rights of Hungarians, and continue Hungary down a path of de-democratization which threatens the transatlantic alliance and the international democratic community.

Hungary is a country with a proud history and a proud people. Since the fall of communism in 1989, Hungary took a pro-European path joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. Unfortunately, since the election of the Fidesz party in 2010, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken Hungary in a decidedly authoritarian direction pushing Hungary’s traditional allies of America and Europe aside in favor of closer relations with Beijing and Moscow. Coupled with Hungary’s closer bilateral relations with China and Russia, Orban has led a systematic and organized crackdown on dissent, free speech and expression, free assembly, and the human and civil rights of all Hungarians.

On March 18, Prime Minister Orban hurried the passage of a new, restrictive anti-LGBTQ law through the Hungarian Parliament which bans Pride marches in Hungary and builds upon Hungary’s 2021 anti-LGBTQ “propaganda” law—which targets and limits discussions and portrayals of LGBTQ people in media and schools. Equally concerning is the legislation’s permissive use of facial recognition software as prima facie evidence in identifying those in violation of the new law. Then, on April 14, Hungary’s parliament passed a constitutional amendment codifying the law and further enshrining discrimination against LGBTQ people. In response, thousands of Hungarians have protested the new law in the streets and made clear their disagreement with this new legislation, which is more reminiscent of similar restrictions against sexual minorities in Russia than any legislation in accordance with European Union values protecting the rights and civil liberties of Hungarians.

As a U.S. Senator, you were a strong opponent of the erosion of democracy and rule of law in Hungary. In fact, in 2019, you wrote to then-President Trump saying that “Under Orban, the election process has become less competitive, and the judiciary is increasingly controlled by the state.” These are strong words which resonate today as Orban continues to move Hungary away from the principles of rule of law and freedom of expression.

As a NATO ally which hosts U.S. service members, we expect the Hungarian government to abide by certain values which underpin the historic U.S.-Hungary bilateral relationship. Unfortunately, this new legislation and constitutional amendment disproportionately and arbitrarily target sexual and gender minorities. Along with years of democratic backsliding in Hungary, it flies in the face of those values and the passage of this legislation deserves quick and decisive criticism and action in response by the Department of State. Therefore, we strongly urge you to publicly condemn this legislation and constitutional change which targets the LGBTQ community and undermines the rights of Hungarians to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Sincerely,

William R. Keating
Mark Takano
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Pramila Jayapal
Sarah McBride
Jim Costa
James P. McGovern
Gerald E. Connolly
Summer L. Lee
Joaquin Castro
Julie Johnson
Ami Bera, M.D.
Mark Pocan
Lloyd Doggett
Becca Balint
Gabe Amo
Ted W. Lieu
Robert Garcia
Dina Titus
Raja Krishnamoorthi
Jan Schakowsky
Mike Quigley