A total of 15 European Union countries have joined a legal case against Hungary's Child Protection Law, widely criticised as being anti-LGBTQ.
Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Malta, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, France, Germany and Greece, together with the European Parliament, will act as third parties in the lawsuit filed last year by the European Commission.
"We stand firm in our commitment to an inclusive society and equality for all," said the Belgian Foreign Affairs Ministry, which had led the charge against the controversial bill.
The Hungarian law, approved in June 2021, contains one provision that prohibits or heavily restricts depictions of homosexuality and gender reassignment in media content and educational material addressed to audiences under 18 years of age.
The legislation also came under fire for conflating paedophilia with homosexuality, as the text's stated purpose is to strengthen the protection of children against sex offenders.
Budapest remained defiant and vowed to push ahead with the legislation, citing a 2022 referendum that showed vast support for the government's position but failed to reach the necessary threshold of valid votes.
"This Hungarian bill is a shame," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in 2021.
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