EPPride

16/09/2026

Two very welcome news have emerged from Hungary this week: the new Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, has announced two important legislative changes:

Most importantly, laws prohibiting the visibility and promotion of homosexuality are being rolled back.

At the same time, it has been announced that the law restricting adoption rights to married heterosexual couples will be amended.

"To live freely and openly as oneself, one must be able to show affection and hold hands with the person one loves. No one talks about a heterosexual couple holding hands or kissing as 'making visible' or 'promoting' anything. Therefore, the legislative amendment Peter Magyar is now submitting to parliament represents a very important and correct step toward normalizing love," states Helge Ytterøy L'orange, President of EPPride.

He adds that this relaxation of rules—which appears to grant adoption rights to single individuals as well, regardless of sexual orientation—marks a significant step toward a more inclusive and diverse Hungary.

"Magyar demonstrates here that he takes our European values ​​seriously by making it clear that LGBTIQ rights are equal rights," L'orange concludes.

Hungary's government submitted a bill to parliament late on Monday that would remove anti-LGBTQ+ rules prohibiting the "promotion ​of homosexuality" to under-18s implemented by Viktor Orban's former ‌nationalist government.

11/09/2026

EU enlargement holds great significance for the LGBTIQ+ community!

Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of a virtual conference with and -M from Moldova.

We received valuable information regarding the current situation and the challenges facing our communities in and .

It was heartening to hear about the progress Montenegro has made; the country is actually ahead of several EU member states when it comes to LGBTIQ+ rights and are at the average level of the , according to the Rainbow Europe map. At the same time, we received a comprehensive briefing on the challenges and the need to keep up pressure on the authorities—both prior to accession and to ensure that progress does not stall once the country becomes an EU member.

Regarding Moldova, strong emphasis was placed on the window of opportunity the country has to join the EU by 2030. Moldova’s LGBTIQ+ community experienced very positive developments between 2021 and 2023, when, for the first time, they had a government that was not actively anti-LGBTIQ+. Unfortunately, active disinformation and polarization have led to setbacks; former allies have fallen silent, and old LGBTIQ+ narratives rooted in the Soviet era have been gaining ground in recent years.

For us and our member organisations, the insights and dialogue shared by from ERA and from Genderdoc-M were extremely valuable, and we will incorporate their experiences into our ongoing political work.

Thank you very much.

02/09/2026

It is very good that the Polish government is following up on the EU Court of Justice ruling that contracted same-sex marriages in an EU country are also valid in Poland.

Same-sex marriages cannot yet be contracted in Poland. Unfortunately, the conservative president has vetoed the adopted partnership law proposed by the Tusk government.

Nevertheless, the recognition and registration of the first same-sex marriages in official Polish registers must be seen as a step in the right direction - and it gives hope for a better future for Poland's LGBTIQ+ community

Poland has officially started legally recognising same-sex marriages performed abroad, though same-sex marriage is illegal in the country.

25/08/2026

It is very serious when LGBTIQ+ networks choose to remove certain parts of our community. Human diversity deserves respect and inclusion, not invisibility and active exclusion.

T has always been there. In ancient Greece, people with both female and male gender characteristics were seen as part of the pantheon, where Hermaphroditus is the foremost embodiment of masculine and feminine qualities. On the Indian subcontinent, we have the hijras who are considered to belong to a third gender category. Before the colonial era, hijras were worshipped and considered highly valued individuals in Indian society. The hijras are also the reason why states such as India, Pakistan and Nepal have introduced a third gender category. Other similar examples of gender diversity can be found in Norse mythology, Native American cultures, Chinese culture and elsewhere.

So, when the Log Cabin Republicans give in to a narrative that transgender people are a danger to society and should therefore be excluded is a serious attack, not only on the people directly affected. It is the beginning of sorting fellow human beings into different classes. That is not the society we want.

Log Cabin Republicans refocus on LGB advocacy, conservative values, and equal rights within the GOP.

11/08/2026

During WorldPride in Amsterdam last week, EPPride had the pleasure to meet Lord Nick Herbert , founder and president of the Global Equality Caucus.

We had a long and good conversation, among other things, about how to strengthen the center-right's trust in various LGBTIQ+ debates.

We discussed how the polarization between extremes weakens debates related to equality, diversity and inclusion, and how we can work to strengthen the moderate voices.

A very important and interesting perspective from Lord Herbert is the effect of inclusion and diversity on innovation, jobs and economic growth. Analyses provide clear indications of a strong connection - a perspective that we from the center-right must clearly bring out.

Thank you very much for a very good conversation - we will follow up and see how we from EPPride can follow up in our political work!
Öppna Moderater LSU Bundesverband Åpne Høyre Öppna Kristdemokrater Kasary Forum Opportunitajiet Indaqs Partit Nazzjonalista - FOIPN CDA Pride Fine Gael LGBT EPP - European People's Party

06/08/2026

Today at WorldPride Human rights Conference:

Just one good idea that you take further can make a big difference!

An excellent overview of how local and regional authorities can work on inclusion and diversity from a centre-right and liberal perspective!

It featured a range of good examples from various European countries New South Wales and Buenos Aires, demonstrating how to work systematically towards the inclusion of LGBTIQ+ individuals and other minorities in areas such as education, sports, culture, healthcare, and elderly care. Programmes aimed at preventing prejudice, hatred were also highlighted. Also the importance of establishing alliances to achive results as well as obstacles they meet in the processes where discussed.

Many thanks to EPPride’s Fredrik Saweståhl for moderating, and to EPPride Vice President Kevin Maas who specifically highlighted ‘Rainbow Lighthouse" program. Also thanks to Deputy Mayor, Charlotte Spurkeland, who presented the action plan from Bergen kommune, and its ongoing work on inclusion and diversity.

You can find EPPride’s policy handbook for local and regional politicians here:

30/07/2026

WorldPride, and the Human Rights Conference, in Amsterdam have started.

Next week, EPPride together with LGBTI Liberals of Europe will focus on howe to work with LGBTIQ+ topics on local and regional level from a centre-right perspective.

One of the cases you can learn more from is how Bærum Høyre and Deputy Mayor Haakon Kvenna Veum have established to create safe spaces within schools, eldery care and more!

See you all in Amsterdam next week!

LSU Bundesverband Öppna Moderater Åpne Høyre Kasary CDA Pride Forum Opportunitajiet Indaqs Partit Nazzjonalista - FOIPN Fine Gael LGBT Öppna Kristdemokrater EPP - European People's Party