Romanian Hungarians Advocate Laws to Stop ‘Gender Ideology Assault’

Socially conservative ethnic Hungarian politicians in Romania have proposed law changes aimed at preventing a Western-style "assault of gender ideology" on Romania by fixing a child's identity on the basis of their sex at birth.

Several senators and deputies from the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, UDMR, have proposed the initiative to the Romanian Senate, the upper house of parliament.

"In Western European countries, we are witnessing an assault of new ideologies, such as gender theory, which jeopardizes traditional values based on Christianity, and the very core the basis of society, the Christian family," the UDMR said.

Currently, sex does not appear in Romanian law as an element of a person's identity.

The UDMR has close ties with Hungary's socially-conservative ruling Fidesz party, led by Viktor Orban, which is currently preparing for parliamentary elections on April 3.

About 1.2 million ethnic Hungarians live in Romania, or about 5.5 per cent of the total population, many with Hungarian passports and the right to vote in elections in Hungary.

The draft also deals with the law on sex education classes in schools, which was amended in 2020 and which President Klaus Iohannis returned to parliament in 2021, and which the UDMR wants to change so that parents can withdraw their children from these classes.

"We believe that the responsibility for children's sexual education lies primarily with their parents. That is why we support sexual health education for children in life education programmes in schools," the UDMR said.

It said its legislative initiatives would "not affect the right of an adult to dispose of himself nor the freedom of thought and opinion, these being fundamental rights and...