by Rex Wockner
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Hungary's Parliament was scheduled to vote April 18 on a new national constitution that LGBT groups say is problematic.
ILGA-Europe – the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association – said the draft defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and omits sexual orientation from an anti-discrimination provision's list of banned grounds of discrimination.
"Such a restrictive definition (of marriage) clearly shows that Hungary wants to institutionalize homophobia in its supreme law," ILGA-Europe said. "While Hungary already has registered-partnership legislation for same-sex partners, such a constitutional provision, if adopted, will mean that same-sex partners will be deprived from enjoying full legal equality as different-sex partners. Additionally, (it) would create serious restrictions in terms of the implementation of the (European Union) free-movement directive as same-sex partners married in other EU countries would not be recognized as married in Hungary."
The co-chair of ILGA-Europe's board, Martin K.I. Christensen, said "the proposed draft signals a worrying sign of Hungary's departure from the EU principles of equality and nondiscrimination for all, and from European legal traditions."
He called on EU institutions "to interfere with what appears to be a conscious move against principles of equality and nondiscrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU freedom of movement directive."
