False and misleading statements about LGBTQ people are now routine in Hungary’s pro-government media. According to the European Digital Media Observatory, Hungary is among several European countries where disinformation about queer issues ranks alongside misinformation about war, climate, and immigration.
Ahead of the 2022 elections, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party made anti-LGBTQ rhetoric a core campaign theme, pushing so-called “child protection” laws. These include bans on transgender people changing official documents and restrictions on LGBTQ topics for minors. Authorities even tried to use these laws to fine stores selling queer books and block Budapest Pride 2025. Disinformation often distorts Western policies, for instance, claiming that Spain allows gender reassignment for 12-year-olds or that Minnesota permits gender transition for minors. In reality, these are deliberate misinterpretations of laws on legal gender change and gender-affirming care.
Pro-government figures also spread conspiracy theories, from false claims that French First Lady Brigitte Macron is transgender to manipulating videos of Olympic boxer Imane Khelif. Hungarian state outlets misrepresent EU grants and Pride events, sometimes linking unrelated crimes to Pride marches or claiming the Budapest parade was banned. Some outlets still promote conversion therapy — despite the UN and WHO declaring it abusive and unscientific. In Hungary’s media landscape, anti-LGBTQ disinformation is not random — it’s strategic, state-aligned, and deeply harmful.
