Hungarian parliament passes ‘snitch on your gay neighbor’ law

The National Assembly of Hungary last week approved legislation that included a provision for citizens to anonymously report on same-sex couples who are raising children.

The wording of the provision specifies that Hungarians may report those who contest the “constitutionally recognized role of marriage and the family” and those who contest children’s rights “to an identity appropriate to their sex at birth.” The latter wording specifically aimed at acknowledging transgender youth.

The country’s constitution states that the institution of marriage is “between one man and one woman,” and notes that “the mother is a woman, the father a man.”

This law’s passage comes after the country’s Constitutional Court issued a ruling in February that will continue to block new applications from trans people for legal gender recognition. The judgment effectively creates two categories of trans people in Hungary: Those who applied early enough to pursue gender recognition and those who did not.

Earlier this month according to a spokesperson for the German government, Germany and France joined with other EU member states in the European Commission lawsuit over a Hungarian law which discriminates against people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

The 14 EU member states that have joined the lawsuit’s proceedings are Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Malta, Austria, Sweden, Slovenia, Finland and now France and Germany.

Nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has publicly proclaimed he is a “defender of traditional family Catholic values.” Orban has been criticized by international human rights groups as discriminating against LGBTQ people with this law which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called a “disgrace.”

On June 15, 2021, the Hungarian Law purportedly aiming at taking stricter action against pedophile offenders and amending certain laws to protect children was adopted. Some of the new provisions target and limit the access of minors to content and advertisements that “promotes or portrays” the so-called “divergence from self-identity corresponding to sex at birth, sex change or homosexuality.”

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Peter Rosenstein

is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

Years ago, in what now seems a distant past, there was a Republican Party still in some ways rational. Although I never agreed with its philosophy, or platform, conversation was possible. Ronald Reagan was a terrible president in so many ways. He was responsible for many deaths because of his refusal to recognize the AIDS crisis. Yet he was able to work out a deal with Democratic Speaker Tip O’Neill, to extend Social Security in 1983. I didn’t vote for him, and would never today, but it was possible to talk. That is no longer the case and it is sad.

We are seeing Republican governors in states like Florida and Texas, with legislatures in Republican hands, pass legislation attacking women, the LGBTQ community, the African-American community, and other minorities. We just saw the Tennessee Legislature vote out two Black legislators who stood up for gun control. We saw a Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, in Amarillo, Texas, rule to stop women across the nation from getting mifepristone. That drug, when followed by misoprostol, is used to terminate a pregnancy within the fi rst 10 weeks. That method accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions.

We are seeing MAGA Republicans in Congress attempt to hold the nation hostage to their whims by threatening to not approve an increase in the debt ceiling. They have said they have no issue with bringing down the nation’s economy to get their way. I still have some Republican friends, they are not MAGA Republicans, and one of them recently asked if I would vote for a moderate Republican. My response was, “that is not a question that should be directed at me. Rather it should be directed at Republican primary voters.” A moderate, even a semi-rational Republican, can’t win a Republican primary. So, asking me the question is a moot point. I suggested he go to those Republicans voting in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district in Georgia and ask them how they can vote for a total moron. Greene, who has now gone on twitter “to defend Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who was arrested Thursday over his alleged role in leaking Pentagon fi les. She said “Jake Teixeira is white, male, Christian, and antiwar. That makes him an enemy to the Biden regime.” Remember, she won her district by 31%.

There are Democrats who some consider crazy. But the ‘crazies’ in the Democratic Party don’t control it. They have a say and can try to infl uence it, but they don’t control the Democratic Party like the crazies in the Republican Party control their party. There are conservative Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and left-wing ones like congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). But when it comes down to it, they both vote for their party leadership. House Democrats don’t need 15 ballots to elect a speaker. They fi ght over bills, but when it comes to cultural issues, they tend to speak out in favor of legislation to benefi t women, the LGBTQ and African-American communities, and other minorities. At least they don’t try to move them back into the Stone Age.

So the time has come for Democrats and clear-thinking independents, to get together and focus on defeating every Republican running for offi ce at the federal level and in states so they no longer control a state legislature or governor’s mansion. While calling for this I am smart enough to understand it won’t happen to the degree I want. Redistricting has made some changes impossible.

But if the Democratic Party fi nds moderate candidates to run in moderate districts, and the general electorate is moderate, we might be able to defeat enough Republicans to make a difference. One example is supporting Adam Frisch against Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). He came within 500 votes of defeating her in 2022 and is running again in 2024. He can win and we can win in other close Districts, with the right candidates and unifi ed support for them.

Kaytlin Bailey

is founder and e ecutive director of ld Pros a non profit media or ani ation creating the conditions to change the status of sex workers. She is also the host of The Oldest Profession Podcast and is currently workshopping, ‘Whore’s Eye View,’ a 75-minute mad dash through 10,000 years of history from a sex worker’s perspective.

Legalize weed, decriminalize sex work. Know the difference.

Sex workers are advocating for the reduction of criminal penalties for prostitution and the expansion of sex worker rights in at least a dozen states, including here in D.C., on local and national levels. Last year, both New York and California voted to stop arresting people for “loitering for the purposes of prostitution” and citizens in Burlington, Vt., and Seattle, voted to remove laws criminalizing sex work. Today, legislators in Vermont, Washington, Hawaii, New York, and Oregon are all considering bills that would decriminalize adult, consensual, sex work. This is an emergent issue.

It’s tempting to compare the legalization of marijuana in dozens of states across the country with the accelerating effort to decriminalize sex work. But the legalization of marijuana and the subsequent creation of licensing and regulatory structures cannot be replicated to contain or control the oldest profession. Sex workers are service providers, not commodities. Sex workers are asking for decriminalization, not legalization. It’s important to know the difference.

Decriminalization removes criminal penalties that criminalize adult consensual sex work but it does not remove criminal penalties for rape, trafficking, assault, kidnapping, or any other violent crime. Decriminalizing sex work would prevent arrests, evictions, job loss, and the loss of child custody just because someone is engaged in sex work. Decriminalization is the only policy that promotes human rights and reduces violence against sex workers. This policy is endorsed by many organizations, including Amnesty International, The World Health Organization, ACLU, the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and the Freedom Network. Legalization, on the other hand, creates restrictive regulations that seek to keep registered sex workers in legally licensed brothels. These laws give a monopoly to brothel owners, disempower workers, while doing nothing to reduce exploitation or arrests. Regulations like licensing create a two-tiered system where the overwhelming majority of people working outside of brothels are still criminalized and therefore have no legal protections. This is the model you see in Nevada, the only state with legal, regulated prostitution is also the state with the highest arrest rate per capita for prostitution related offenses. Regulation is not liberation.

Most efforts to regulate erotic service providers result in overly broad policies that do more harm than good. Regulation, legalization, and licensing schemes create state sanctioned monopolies that limit the freedom of movement, association, and expression of everyone. There are good reasons why some people don’t want to put themselves on stigmatized lists. Being a former registered prostitute can come up in child custody cases, background checks, and embolden abusive partners, landlords, or employers.

We cannot regulate sex work without infringing on fundamental rights for anyone suspected of engaging in stigmatized services. Sex workers are not commodities like marijuana, or alcohol, and cannot be regulated and controlled in the way that substances or objects are. Sex workers are people, we are service providers, and — whether you know it or not — we are already an integral part of your community.

We’ve seen what prohibition does to markets. It doesn’t make them safer.

Prohibition does not make markets safer. Criminalization and regulation provide opportunities for law enforcement and government bureaucrats to interfere with the private choices of consenting adults. Decriminalizing sex work is the only legal model that keeps the government out of our bedrooms and out of our business.

JEN BAXTER is executive director of the Balanced Veterans Network, a non-profit organization, and a thriving community of veterans and their family members, that provides education to help empower veterans to use alternative therapies to combat issues plaguing the U.S. military veterans’ community.

Why military veterans deserve safe access to cannabis

As a U.S. military veteran, I have seen fi rsthand how military service can take a toll on both physical and mental health. Many veterans struggle with chronic pain, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other conditions related to their service. Despite their sacrifi ces, veterans often do not have access to a safe and effective treatment option: cannabis.

As an advocate for veterans’ rights, I believe that veterans should have access to cannabis as a viable treatment option. Cannabis has been a game-changer for many veterans, providing relief when traditional treatments have failed and enabling us to lead more fulfi lling lives.

Unfortunately, veterans are often denied access to cannabis due to the federal government’s outdated classification of it as a Schedule I drug. This classifi cation makes it diffi cult to conduct research on its medicinal properties and prevents veterans from obtaining safe, regulated cannabis. As a result, veterans are often forced to turn to prescription opioids, which can be addictive and have dangerous side effects, or self-medicate with alcohol.

Denying veterans access to cannabis not only does a disservice to them but to the American public. The opioid epidemic is rampant, and veterans are among the most vulnerable populations. By denying veterans access to cannabis, we are contributing to the problem rather than providing a solution.

Thankfully, several states have legalized cannabis for medicinal and/or recreational use, and a growing number of lawmakers are pushing for federal legalization. In fact, a recent poll found that 83% of Americans support legalizing medical cannabis, including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans.

It is time for the government to listen to the will of the people and provide veterans with safe access to cannabis. We owe it to those who have served our country to provide them with the best possible care, and that includes access to cannabis. It is time to end the stigma surrounding cannabis and recognize its potential as a safe and effective treatment option for a wide range of conditions.

In conclusion, I urge lawmakers and fellow Americans to support veterans’ access to cannabis. Let us work together to ensure that veterans have the care and support they deserve.

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STEPHEN POST is a Senior Communications Associate at Last Prisoner Project, a national, nonpartisan non-profit dedicated to cannabis criminal justice reform. We aim to release every last person incarcerated for cannabis, as well as to repair the harms of cannabis criminalization. We accomplish this through legal intervention, direct constituent support, advocacy campaigns, and policy change.