BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s Minister of Culture has taken a controversial step by dismissing the director of the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest. The move comes in response to allegations that the museum failed to comply with a contentious law prohibiting the display of LGBTQ+ content to minors.
Laszlo L. Simon, who assumed the role of museum director for a five-year term in 2021, was let go after the Hungarian government asserted that five photographs exhibited at the renowned World Press Photo exhibition violated the law, which restricts minors’ access to content featuring homosexuality or gender changes.
In response to the allegations, the museum posted notices on its website and at the entrance of the World Press Photo exhibition, informing visitors that access was limited to those above the age of 18.
Simon, a member of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party and a former secretary of state with the cultural ministry, defended himself on his Facebook page. He emphasized that he and the museum had not intentionally violated Hungary’s 2021 “child protection” law. He wrote, “I take note of the decision, but I cannot accept it. As a father of four and a grandparent, I firmly reject the idea that our children should be protected from me or from the institution I run.”
The contentious photographs depict an elderly LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines, which has lived together for decades and cared for one another as they’ve aged. The images show some members of the community dressed in drag and wearing makeup.
Hungary, under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has implemented strict regulations that limit the dissemination of materials deemed to “promote” or depict homosexuality to minors in various forms of media, including television, films, advertisements, and literature. While the government argues that this law aims to protect children from what it considers sexual propaganda, it has sparked legal action from 15 European Union countries, with the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, denouncing it as “a disgrace.”
The cultural ministry cited Simon’s failure to adhere to the law and “engaging in conduct that made it impossible for him to continue his employment” as the reasons for his dismissal.
As of now, Hungary’s cultural ministry has not provided further comments on the matter.
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