Luxembourg stands up for LGBT rights, chastises Hungary
Luxembourg’s openly gay prime minister used the dais of the European Union’s parliament to stand up for LGBT rights in the 27-nation bloc and chastise member state Hungary which wants to curtail addressing the issue of homosexuality at school and in the media
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Luxembourg’s openly gay prime minister used the dais of the European Union’s parliament on Wednesday to stand up for LGBT rights in the 27-nation bloc and chastised member state Hungary, which wants to curtail addressing the issue of homosexuality at school and in the media.
“If there’s anyone in this house who thinks that you’ve become a homosexual by watching the television or listening to a song, then you’ve not understood anything. The most difficult (thing) for a homosexual is to accept themselves,” Bettel told legislators at Wednesday’s plenary session in Strasbourg, France.
Bettel has often spoken about his sexuality and for two years already, he has been especially critical of Hungary.
He already came out against Budapest in 2021 when a law was approved to prohibit sharing content on homosexuality or sex reassignment to people under 18 in school sex education programs, films or advertisements.
The EU has accused populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of cracking down on LGBT rights and has openly challenged them.
Bettel, who married his husband eight years ago, believes Hungary is out of touch with many of the other EU member states.
He said that he knew becoming public about one’s homosexuality could be dangerous in too many nations outside the EU.
“I could end up in prison, face (a) life sentence. And soon maybe, in a European Union member state, I would only be able to talk about this in secret, because I would be accused of perverting the young generation.”
“I am ashamed, Madam President, that some colleagues want to win votes at the expense of minorities. We’ve had that before in our history,” Bettel said,
Bettel has often taken a strong stand. At an EU-Arab League summit in Egypt in 2019, Bettel told Arab leaders that he was married to a man and would probably face capital punishment in many of their countries.