by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
Hungary's National Election Committee on Aug. 31 rejected a proposed voter referendum that, if passed, would have required Parliament to ban "public advertisement of homosexuality."
The committee said the phrase "advertisement of homosexuality" is unclear and the proposed law would violate constitutional free speech protections.
It also said that advertising promotes products or services, and homosexuality is neither of those, so homosexuality cannot be "advertised" anyway.
The referendum's supporters can appeal to the Constitutional Court. Should supporters prevail in court, they would then need to collect 200,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot.
