Hungary has fired the National Museum Director Over LGBTQ+ Content in World Press Photo Exhibition

Kultura.hu reports that in recent days, Dóra Dúró, Member of Parliament and Vice President of the Our Homeland Movement (Mi Hazánk Mozgalom), has taken the initiative to ask for the prohibition of persons under 18 years of age from visiting the exhibition. She referred to the Child Protection Act in connection with some of the photos on display at the Word Press Photo exhibition at the Hungarian National Museum. Director László L. Simon argued that the institution could not legally enforce the minister’s request, as it could not ask for an identity card from the visitors.

László L. Simon was Director General of the Hungarian National Museum from 31 July 2021. In connection with the termination of his contract he issued the following statement: “This morning, Minister János Csák told me that he had removed me from my position as Director General of the Hungarian National Museum because he believed that I had sabotaged the Child Protection Act. I take note of the decision, but I cannot accept it. By showing the pictures in the World Press Photo exhibition, the museum has not deliberately violated any law.

The Ministry itself acknowledged this in an earlier letter. Contrary to the statement of the Ministry, we complied with the instructions of the maintainer without delay and in full, we introduced the under-18 restriction and informed the maintainer immediately.”

Earlier in October the Our Homeland Movement had held a press conference in Parliament about alleged “LGBTQ propaganda in the Hungarian National Museum”. During this Dóra Dúró MP described some of the pictures presented at the World Press Photo (WPP) exhibition as harmful. She also objected to the fact that the exhibition highlighted a case in Kenya, where a 25-year-old non-binary lesbian was raped and murdered, as one of the important events of the past year. The MP for Our Homeland has announced that she will table an amendment to the law and appeal to the Minister of Culture over the events at the National Museum.

The series of photos that Dóra Dúró might have considered problematic was created by Hannah Reyes Morales, entitled The Gay Old People’s Home, depicts the residents of an old people’s home in the Philippines. The caption say, “The Golden Gays are a Filipino LGBTQI+ elderly community, living together and supporting each other for decades in a country where they face discrimination, prejudice and increased hardship due to their age and socio-economic status.”

Hungary’s so called Child Protection Act specifically prohibits the depiction of material that could be deemed as gender propaganda for under-aged viewers. All such documents must be labelled clearly, while younger audiences can only be allowed to access them with parental consent.