Gay bashing seems to be the official policy in Hungary. The Orbán Government has no openly gay members and there are no gays in the ruling Fidesz party either. Orbán loyalists have no gay relatives, not even gay acquaintances.
Mr. Orbán’s cultural advisor Imre Kerényi wants to stop “the faggot lobby,” Budapest Mayor István Tarlós says that homosexuality as “unnatural and repulsive,” and Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén calls homosexuality “a deviance” and “an aberration.” The country’s new Constitution defines marriage as strictly between a man and a woman. According to Mr. Orbán, Hungary is a white Christian heterosexual society with no place for gays.
Hungarian State Opera planned to close this season with Billy Elliot, a play based on the Oscar-nominated 2000 movie. The story is about a working-class boy whose dream is to become a ballet star. The Hungarian production was presented with English subtitles and was to feature a sequence from Swan Lake, with dancers from the Hungarian National Ballet. Posters advertised the production and the Opera even published a promotional video. (Billy Elliot promotional video.)
Budapest Opera’s Billy Elliot poster.
On June 1, pro-government daily Magyar Idők published a letter condemning the musical. According to the writer the play promotes a gay lifestyle and encourages young boys to dance instead of playing soccer. (Read here in Hungarian.)
Opera director Mr. Ókovács first defended the production but after just one debut presentation he has cancelled the additional 15 shows. It seems that Orbán officials made it clear to him that the play’s “gay message” is inappropriate and the show must close. Ókovács is an Orbán appointee and dutifully follows party directions. His explanation is that after negative publicity ticket sales has dropped, and he was forced to cancel. Few believe his story.
Orbán doesn’t hide his anti-gay attitudes and whenever possible he avoids meeting gay politicians. Sometimes this is impossible which may lead to awkward moments. Orbán was visibly uncomfortable during the February visit of Serbia’s Prime Minister, Ms. Ana Brnabić.
Homophobe Viktor Orbán was visibly uncomfortable during the February visit of Serbia’s Prime Minister, Ms. Ana Brnabić.
In October of 2018 the Hungarian State Opera is coming to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. Three hundred and fifty singers and dancers will perform over the two weeks between October 30 and November 11. Authoritarian Orbán wants to show to American audiences that Hungary loves culture and is presentable in New York City.
I encourage New Yorkers to boycott the Hungarian State Opera presentations. In the past the Opera was an independent institution; today it has become a propaganda tool of Hungary’s right-wing “Viktatorship.”
György Lázár
When the sexual activities of a Fidesz politician threaten to cause scandal or problems for the party, there is a tradition of shipping them out of Hungary and finding them other employment in the EU.
“Orbán doesn’t hide his anti-gay attitudes and whenever possible he avoids meeting gay politicians.”
Not to mention Mr. Orbán’s attack on Vona Gábor in parliament, presumably for Vona’s alleged contact with Terry Black “I’m not the one who hides behind other men’s skirts”:
https://444.hu/2017/02/21/orban-azert-buzizik-a-parlamentben-hogy-megmutassa-o-egy-kozulunk
Russia Today, Hungary Tomorrow … ?
“Orbán was visibly uncomfortable during the February visit of Serbia’s Prime Minister, Ms. Ana Brnabić” Then how do you explain the good Hungary-Serbia relations lately?
As for the reasons why show was cancelled, there is an official claim, and then your speculation.
Other than that, if you had to spend an evening walking around with another man, holding hands, given following choices: Amsterdam, Malmo, Budapest, which city would you choose keeping in mind considerations of personal safety? Here is hint:
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2017/04/coc-calls-for-action-against-rising-tide-of-homophobic-attacks/
The Hungary homophobia story is just as credible as the anti-Semitism story. While gays and Jews feel relatively safe in Hungary, it is in Western Europe that they increasingly need to hide.
Oh, those poor gays, I don’t understand why they don’t seek asylum in the middle east after all they sure wanted Europe to become an islamic province.
Billy Elliot, the Musical is not welcome by the Orban government. Hungarian citizens just lucked out. Keep up the good work, Mr. Orban.
I have the sinking feeling the Hungarian opera house teem only hopes to make some money.
Really doubt that they might play the Orban Rapsody.
Peter
Just like 40 y ago – the West is rotten, dangerous, but hundreds of the Hungarians dont appreciate the “safety” and “freedom” of Orbanistan and escape to the cursed West, just as they did 40 y.a.
Yes, people are willing to put up with a lot of things for money and higher living standards. Just because thanks to 500 years of global hegemony the West enjoys a higher standard of living, it does not make its current course wise and its values correct. In fact, I think the current generation is the one that will destroy the inheritance. The worst part of it is that they delusionaly attribute their high living standards to their current ideological inclinations and values.
https://m.portfolio.hu/gazdasag/sokkolo-szamok-kozel-egymillio-magyar-vandorolhatott-mar-ki.289658.html
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8926076/3-28052018-AP-EN.pdf/48c473e8-c2c1-4942-b2a4-5761edacda37
Actually it looks more like 300 k, and the emigration trend seems to be ending. I personally trust Eurostat more than anyone spinning numbers in a way that tries to make a political/ideological point.
I saw the film “Billy Elliot” From memory the main character of the story wasn’t in the remotest direction gay His friend might have been, or was he *merely* a cross-desser? Genuinely can’t remember. it wasn’t that crucial to the story.
But in Orban’s Hungary, it would appear the translated version has provided a direct challenge to, well, something or other.
But let’s forget the BS about lack of demand for tickets. Anything provided the Hungarian State Opera sells out, period. This is censorship, pure and simple and if you are opposed to “Billy Elliot” on idealogical grounds at least have the courage of your convictions to explain why.
I’ve been censored on this site for far less! Other than that, Western world has been subjected to many decades of PC censorship now. Its the same thing, except ideologically in reversed roles.
Mr. Lázár, I love the way you developed from transportation expert into social justice warrior.
I somehow fear for your mental health thou as your point of views seem to be in collision court and eventually they will explode in your head. First you cried over Orbán’s anti-immigration or as you described xenophobe political stands. You were one of the loudest supporter of the Soros agenda to import the sworn enemies of Jews and LGBTQxyzETC., hateful Muslim migrants that included several thousands of embedded ISIS fighters. You were very upset for your opinion having no effect on the Hungarian Government’s policies.
In this article you are blaming the Orbán regime for not supporting the other left-lib idea of giving ruling power to sexually driven agenda’s. You are right in that “The Orbán Government has no openly gay members” and by publishing your displeasure with such will also have no effect whatsoever in Hungary. I believe that it is high time for you to realize your smallness and get out of the life of the Hungarian People.
Your publications are full of unimportant issues, whether it is the cab fare in Budapest or the price of bottled water at Liszt Ferenc Airport, and no matter how much you whine your words carry no weight. It seems to me that you are writing for the sake of seeing your words on the website rather than exploring themes that have importance for the Hungarian People.
Why not just relax in the beautiful countryside environment that your so hated birthplace provides you year after year and get your nose out of where it doesn’t belong. After all when you cross the borders into Hungary nobody ask you whether you [MODERATED FOR CRUDE AND SEXUALLY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE]
Robert Morrison on June 22, 2018 at 10:24 pm
‘…..Soros agenda to import the sworn enemies of Jews and LGBTQxyzETC., hateful Muslim migrants that included several thousands of embedded ISIS fighters.’
Robert, you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself for this bullshit Nazi propaganda outburst. You wicked depraved person. Remember how Nazi propaganda impacted the attitudes and actions of Germans in the 1930s ? How do you think this kind of vicious propaganda impacts the attitudes and actions of societies today ?
“After all when you cross the borders into Hungary nobody ask you whether you [MODERATED FOR CRUDE AND SEXUALLY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE]”
It is incorrect to moderate out the slightly and I should say every day used expression about sexual orientation as this whole article is based on just that.
My respectful suggestion to let the last sentence stand as I wrote being the essence of my comment:
After all when you cross the borders into Hungary nobody ask you whether you [MODERATED FOR CRUDE AND SEXUALLY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE] .
Since it was moderated out second time I guess it is time to reword it to have similar meaning but not to be offensive. So here we got 3rd time:
After all when you cross the borders into Hungary nobody ask you whether you make love to women or men!
Pityi Palkó on June 23, 2018 at 9:44 am
I am long over the age when comments like yours can intimidate me. Your label falls off me like dead flies from the ceiling when they freeze.
Try something else, like how being blown into pieces would impact you when you attend a concert, or how would it effect you if your daughter was raped and killed, or how it might ruin your day if some intolerant illegal infiltrator tells you to follow his orders based on his twisted sick religion or will chop off your stupid head.
My suggestion is that find yourself someone else who would yield to your liberal agenda and can be ashamed by unsupported idealism base BS. Or even better, look up the facts and “you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself for ” being what you are, a left lib troll.
Robert, it appears to me that you are a sexually frustrated, silly little man. Your agenda is to use gays as proxy in your frustrated, wicked battle against liberal ideas. Your battle is personified in the gay community. I take it you would not hear arguments against adultery, divorce and abortions, because these would be losing battles for you. So you use Gays and link them as the proxy to be blamed for all ills of a society. For you it is a “winning” issue to try to gain maximum mileage against the Liberals. Losing would mean admitting that the bible could be wrong, thus opening the Pandora box of asking what other fundamental doctrines and beliefs you suffering from were wrong.
I suggest you collect yourself and allow a little light, a bit of brightness to enter that dark, befuddled mind of you yours !
You can be sure that the loudest homophobic voices are closet homosexuals. It always turns out to be the case. They may think it more pleasurable if it is forbidden. I don’t know.
Pityi Palkó on June 24, 2018 at 9:16 am
Read my comment to you above. Your attempted insults have no penetration point in my world. Save your efforts to those who care about your highly unintelligent and uncivil blabbering.
“frustrated, wicked battle against liberal ideas” which is a non-sense as I don’t care about your meaningless crusade to change everything that is natural, traditional and serves the needs and interest of the majority of people with respect for freedom to all not only the left liberal academics. That freedom is also applicable to the Prime Minister of Hungary and nobody can force him to appoint someone to be a minister in his cabinet based on the person’s sexual preference as that is a qualifying factor only for liberals and as you might noticed Mr. Orbán is not a liberal
“Robert, it appears to me that you are a sexually frustrated, silly little man.” Well it takes one to recognize one. Bravo Pityi. You are a genius psychic. If you have some spare time pls come over and help me out. 🙂