Thread by @panyiszabolcs

1/ Why does it matter that Viktor Orbán’s close friend and ally, MEP József Szájer was caught having an orgy with 20+ men? Very simple. While he was enjoying himself in LGBT-friendly Brussels, he made life for LGBT people in Hungary miserable by rewriting the constitution. THREAD

2/ After Viktor Orbán came to power in 2010, Szájer famously drafted a new constitution for Hungary on his iPad (yes, really), becoming the legal architect of Orbán’s regime. There was no consultation with the opposition or anyone outside the government.
intellinews.com/prominent-orba…

3/ Here’s the English version of Hungary’s (Szájer’s) constitution. 'Article L' on "protecting the institution of marriage as the union of a man and a woman" was inserted, essentially making it impossible for gay couples to get married. But that’s not all.
njt.hu/translated/doc…

4/ It’s not just about marriage - this part of the constitution on marriage and families became a reference point for future legislations aimed at restricting the rights and freedom of LGBT people. Moreover, it became the legal justification for Viktor Orbán’s culture war.

5/ Just a few examples (and I’m gonna be using lots of Guardian articles by @floragaramvolgy and @shaunwalker7 on this)... Most recently, a consitutional amendment was introduced that "would ensure that only heterosexual married couples can adopt children”
theguardian.com/world/2020/nov…

6/ In May - also following up on Szájer's original 'Article L’ -, Orbán’s parliamentary majority "has voted to end legal recognition for trans people (...) The new law defines gender as based on chromosomes at birth”. theguardian.com/world/2020/may…

7/ It’s not just about what is included in the constitution drafted by Szájer - it is just as important what’s lacking. For example, there is no constitutional protection against discrimination based on the grounds of sexual orientation. pinknews.co.uk/2012/01/03/new…

8/ And then there is all the culture war going on, where the Szájer-drafted constitution always comes up as an argument against anything that is pro-LGBTQ. Look at this story from last year, for example: theguardian.com/world/2019/aug…

9/ The whole anti-gay crusade became such an integral part of the Orbán government’s agenda that it started allying itself with some really weird and scary people.
theguardian.com/world/2017/may…

10/ From last year: "Hungary will not participate in next year’s Eurovision song contest, amid speculation the decision was taken because the competition is “too gay” for the taste of the country’s far-right government and public media bosses."
theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2…

11/ Recently, the government's anti-gay crusade reached new levels when even Viktor Orbán spoke out against a children’s book (!) with LGBTQ characters, saying that "there is a red line that cannot be crossed (...) Leave our children alone!" time.com/5897312/hungar…

“The (Hungarian) government that Szájer has loyally served has not only constantly curbed the rights of LGBT people but – especially in recent years – waged an all-out culture war against them.”

@BylineTimes asked me to write my thread into an article: bylinetimes.com/2020/12/03/joz…