For Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, gay or transsexuals must not appear as part of normalcy.
The criticism from the EU is sharp.
Brussels / Luxembourg - Counterattack for Viktor Orban: He has announced a controversial LGBTQ referendum - now a prominent foreign minister wants to make himself the subject of a vote.
"You should hold a referendum in the EU on whether you want to tolerate Orban in the EU," said Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn to
Spiegel
.
Asselborn said he was convinced that the result would be a resounding no.
Although the instrument of EU-wide referendums has not yet existed, one should think about introducing it.
Dispute with the EU: Orban referendum on sex education
Orban announced a referendum on a controversial law on Wednesday.
Among other things, it prohibits advertising in which homosexuals or transsexuals appear as part of normalcy.
The official declared goal of the government of Hungary in the controversial bill is the protection of minors, activists speak of a blow against the LGBTQ community.
In response, the EU initiated infringement proceedings against Budapest, CSU Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) said of Orban: "He has gone too far."
Orban argues that the law allows parents to decide how they want their children to be sexually raised.
He accused the EU of demanding that activists from LGBT associations carry out sex education in Hungarian kindergartens and schools, "as is already the case in Western Europe".
Orban on refugee referendum: "Brussels wanted to force immigrants on us"
Orban listed five questions for the referendum: Whether the Hungarians are in favor of minors being sexually informed without the consent of their parents, whether gender reassignments can be advertised in children and whether sex reassignment activities can be carried out in children. It should also be asked whether children should be able to access media reports that can influence their sexual development, as well as media reports about gender reassignments.
Orban called on the Hungarians to say a “common no” to these five questions.
He cited the referendum of 2016, which was directed against the admission of refugees, as a model.
Back then, "Brussels wanted to force immigrants on us," Orban said.
"At that time we managed to stop it, together we will succeed this time as well." The referendum of 2016 was invalid due to a lack of participation.
A few hours before Orban's announcement, the government lifted the referendum ban that had previously been in force due to the corona pandemic.
(dpa / frs)