Budapest’s streets filled with rainbows and cheers this weekend as Hungary held its first Pride march since the departure of autocratic leader Viktor Orban. The UK Equality and Human Rights Commission described the event as a ‘milestone for democracy’ in a country long dogged by state-sponsored homophobia.
For years, Orban’s Fidesz government used legislation and vitriolic rhetoric to marginalise LGBTQ+ people. A 2021 law banning the ‘portrayal of homosexuality’ to under-18s was widely condemned as a gag on free speech. Gay couples had no right to marry or adopt. Pride events were routinely blocked or forced into remote locations under the guise of public order.
But last month’s snap election ushered in a reformist coalition that swiftly repealed the discriminatory law. Organisers of this year’s Pride were granted permits for the traditional route along the Danube. Tens of thousands marched, many in tears. ‘I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime,’ said 68-year-old retired teacher Ilona Kovacs, clutching a rainbow flag. ‘My partner and I have lived in fear for 40 years. Now we can hold hands in public.’
The UK commission’s chair, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, called the repeal ‘a victory for human dignity’ and urged Britain to ‘learn from Hungary’s sudden embrace of tolerance’. But the headline masks deep scars. Hungary’s economy, ravaged by years of corruption and EU funding freezes, is in tatters. Inflation tops 15%. The forint is weak. Jobs are scarce, especially in the northern industrial towns that once churned out steel and machinery.
For factory worker Gabor Szabo, 52, the Pride march is a sideshow. ‘I’m glad people can be themselves,’ he said. ‘But my wages haven’t risen in three years. I pay more for bread and milk each week. The new government talks about rights but what about my right to a decent living?’
His sentiment is echoed by many working-class Hungarians who feel the new elite is out of touch. The reformist coalition, a motley alliance of liberals and ex-Fidesz defectors, has promised a ‘New Deal’ for the regions: investment in public transport, affordable housing, and a living wage. But critics say the measures are too timid, too slow.
Union membership, decimated under Orban, is creeping back. This week, bus drivers in Miskolc voted to strike for the first time in a decade. Railway workers are balloting. The new government has pledged to restore collective bargaining rights, but workers are impatient.
‘Democracy is more than a Pride parade,’ said Marta Balogh, a shop steward at a packaging plant in Debrecen. ‘It’s about strong unions, fair wages, and a state that looks after you when you’re sick. Orban took that away. The new lot talk a good game but talk doesn’t fill my fridge.’
Still, there is cautious hope. The EU has released €3 billion in frozen funds, conditional on judicial independence and media freedom safeguards. The government promises to raise the minimum wage to €900 a month by 2026. Inflation is projected to fall to single digits by year end.
For the LGBTQ+ community, the immediate battle is won. But the war for a truly inclusive, prosperous society is just beginning. As the Pride marchers chanted ‘love is love’, others chanted for ‘bread and roses’. Both, they know, are needed for a nation to heal.
