The Guardian reports:
Hungary’s rightwing ruling party has tried to brush off accusations of hypocrisy over a “gay orgy” scandal in Brussels, involving one of its inner circle, the MEP József Szájer. The prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and his ruling Fidesz party have enacted a range of legislation over the past decade infringing on LGBT rights, and Szájer himself boasted of personally rewriting Hungary’s constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual institution in 2011.
That made it all the more embarrassing when he was caught by Brussels police shimmying down a drainpipe to escape a gay orgy last Friday. Police raided the gathering as it violated Belgium’s coronavirus regulations. In a terse statement, the Fidesz grouping in the European parliament commended Szájer’s resignation. “He made the only right decision. We acknowledge his decision, just as we acknowledge that he has apologised to his family, his political community and to the voters,” it read.
Read the full article. Szájer, who is married to a woman, claims that the drugs found on him by police were planted. According to European media, that he is gay was an “open secret” among his party members.
The host of the “gay orgy” tells the Belgian press that Szájer came as another guest’s plus-one and that everyone was naked at the time of the raid. Szájer faces charges for drug possession and, along with other attendees, for violating lockdown rules.
A host on Hungary’s state-run TV station last night suggested that the party was a set-up by enemies of the ruling party.
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 pic.twitter.com/uvMrD5WnwS
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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.https://t.co/wTfj38Koeh
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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.https://t.co/4g8xH4YGN7 pic.twitter.com/nl5JBJGG8d
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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.
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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”https://t.co/eIO3xFG8Ur
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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”. https://t.co/r7D3qfR7bc
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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. https://t.co/lsUsQ1JmyS
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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: https://t.co/JppgMIjeZU
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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.https://t.co/nP6FGdox5t
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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.”https://t.co/alar0IqZ26
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020
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!” https://t.co/Y8wc1tgMd9
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) December 1, 2020