In Hungary, approximately 30,000 people joined the annual Pride celebrations in the capital of Budapest on July 24, with attendees marching in colorful outfits in support of inclusion and freedom, according to CNN.com .
However, this year Pride was a protest as well as parade, in light of a new law, supported by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, that bans all educational materials and programs for children that are considered to promote sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
The law's passage has resulted in fierce international criticism, including a scolding assessment (and a push for its repeal) by the European Union, of which Hungary is a member. Orban has proposed to hold a referendum that will ask the public if they support the "promotion" of content related to sexual orientation to children.
LGBTQ activist Akos Modolo said that the issue with the referendum is that it presents very "leading questions" to the public, noting similarities to a 2016 referendum on the EU's refugee resettlement plan. (Hungary rejected that proposal but failed to reach a voter turnout threshold, making the referendum not legally binding.)
A 2020 report from the Bratislava-based global think tank Globsec found that the majority of Hungarians disagree with the demonization of the LGBTQ community. It also found that almost half of the country's residents agree with guaranteeing rights for LGBTQ people.