Behind the Scenes: Identifying Key Players and Methodologies

In Hungary, government media regularly spreads anti-LGBTQ disinformation, according to recent findings from monitoring organizations. Unlike in many other European countries where such misinformation primarily circulates in fringe media, in Hungary it has become a mainstream phenomenon actively promoted by politicians and state-affiliated outlets.

The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), which tracks disinformation trends across Europe, has identified anti-LGBTQ content as a persistent problem alongside other key topics like the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, and immigration.

The Hungarian government, led by Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, has incorporated anti-LGBTQ rhetoric into its official political messaging. This approach gained particular momentum during the 2022 parliamentary elections, when the government implemented several legal measures described as “child protection” initiatives.

These included a 2020 law preventing transgender people from changing their gender in official documents and a 2021 “child protection law” restricting the portrayal of LGBTQ content to minors. Authorities have used this legislation to fine stores displaying LGBTQ-themed books, and police even attempted to ban Budapest Pride 2025 based on these provisions.

The government’s anti-LGBTQ stance was further emphasized when it held a referendum alongside the 2022 parliamentary elections, asking loaded questions such as “Do you support the promotion of gender reassignment treatments for minors?”

Several recurring themes dominate anti-LGBTQ disinformation in Hungarian media. One common tactic involves deliberately misrepresenting legislation in Western countries to portray them as endangering children.

In 2021, János Halász, then spokesperson for Fidesz’s parliamentary faction, falsely claimed that Spain allowed minors to undergo gender reassignment surgery from age 14, and Scotland from age 4. In reality, the Spanish legislation – still only a proposal at that time – referred to legal gender changes in documents, not surgical procedures. The Scottish reference to four-year-olds came from guidelines suggesting teachers should respect children’s gender identity in classrooms.

When Spain passed its gender recognition law in 2023, the government-supported Danube Institute incorrectly stated that “Spanish law allows children as young as 12 to undergo gender reassignment surgery.” The law actually only permitted legal gender changes for 12-14 year-olds with special court approval.

Similar misrepresentations targeted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz during the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. Pro-government outlet Magyar Nemzet claimed Walz had “enacted the possibility of gender reassignment for minors,” when he had merely signed legislation confirming existing rights to gender-affirming care, following national healthcare guidelines.

Another frequent tactic involves questioning the gender identity of prominent women. Female politicians and athletes are often targeted with false allegations that they were “actually born male.”

During the 2024 Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif faced a barrage of such claims after her disqualification from a 2023 championship based on chromosome testing. Hungarian government-aligned figures shared manipulated video content attempting to portray Khelif as identifying as male, despite evidence to the contrary.

Similarly, a persistent conspiracy theory about French First Lady Brigitte Macron being transgender has been amplified by pro-government Hungarian outlets. When a French court acquitted two women accused of defamation for calling Macron transgender, Hungarian media misrepresented the ruling, suggesting the court had validated their claims. In reality, the judges merely determined that such statements did not meet the legal definition of defamation.

The government’s anti-EU rhetoric often incorporates misleading information about funding. In summer 2024, Balázs Orbán, the Prime Minister’s political director, mischaracterized the EU’s €1.5 billion Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program as money solely for “gender sensitization.” In reality, only a tiny fraction of this budget supports LGBTQ initiatives, with just five Hungarian organizations focused primarily on LGBTQ issues receiving a total of €630,000 since 2021.

Pro-government media intensifies its misinformation campaigns annually during Pride Month, culminating with the Budapest Pride march. Following the government’s March 2024 amendment to the Assembly Act in an attempt to prevent the parade, Budapest’s municipal government stepped in to organize the event, which drew record attendance.

During the weekend of the Pride march, pro-government outlets employed various deceptive tactics: linking unrelated incidents to the parade, using photos from past events, and attempting to discredit Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony by suggesting he gave a Nazi salute when he merely raised his hand during a speech.

Perhaps most concerning is the promotion of so-called “conversion therapy” to “cure” homosexuality. Despite homosexuality being declassified as a mental illness by major medical organizations decades ago, pro-government media regularly features content framing it as a disease requiring treatment. These articles typically cite discredited researchers while ignoring the scientific consensus that such therapies are harmful and ineffective.

As international organizations like the UN continue to document the psychological damage caused by conversion therapies, Hungary’s state-affiliated media persists in giving a platform to those promoting these dangerous practices – demonstrating how far the country’s anti-LGBTQ disinformation ecosystem reaches into mainstream discourse.