Hungary Outlaws Pride Festivals in Latest Anti-LGBTQ Crackdown
Bye-bye, Budapest. A new anti-LGBTQ+ law banning Pride events and empowering authorities to use facial recognition software to identify those attending the Pride events has passed in Hungary.
The measure was passed in a 136-27 vote, and lead to a large demonstration on the streets of Budapest.
Hungary, particularly its capital Budapest, has been in recent years a popular tourist destination due to its rich history, stunning architecture, numerous thermal spas, and vibrant nightlife, along with its affordability and accessible public transportation and old world European charm.
Budapest is renowned for its beautiful architecture, including the Hungarian Parliament Building, Buda Castle, and St. Stephen’s Basilica, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The city is also famous for its thermal spas, with the Szechenyi Baths being a particularly popular attraction. Multiple river cruises pass through Budapest because the Danube River, flows through, adding to the city’s scenic beauty, especially at night.
And speaking of night, Budapest has a lively nightlife scene with many pubs, clubs, and ‘ruin’ bars. And despite the consistently anti-LGBTQ stance of Hungary’s leader Viktor Orban, Budapest has a vibrant gay scene with several bars and clubs, including the well-known Alterego, a below-ground venue with midnight drag shows. Open on Fridays and Saturdays, Alterego features midnight drag shows moderated by Lady Dömper. It’s located on a quiet side street near the city center in District 6.
The Why Not Cafe and Bar is a popular cafe and bar that is open daily, while Magnum Sauna is also a popular venue. Ver-Deco Music Club is the other place for queers to dance the night away, but it’s the scenic ruin bars, which are unique social spaces created in abandoned buildings, and some of them are known to be gay-friendly.
But the move by Hungarian politicians is sure to have LGBTQ+ travelers rethinking Hungary as a destination. This latest crackdown on the country’s LGBTQ+ community by the nationalist-populist party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, looks set to drive a wedge between Europe—those nations that are safe and friendly, and those that are not.
