EU to Hungary's Orban: Respect LGBT Rights or Leave

European Union leaders are in a dispute with Hungary over a law the Hungarian parliament passed last week.

The law bans sharing information about homosexuality or sex change operations with people under 18 in school sex education programs, movies or advertisements.

EU leaders clashed with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban Thursday during an EU leader's meeting in Brussels.

A majority of the EU's 27 leaders said Hungary's law is discriminatory and goes against EU values. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Orban to respect LGBT rights or to consider leaving the EU.

"It was about our values; this is what we stand for," Rutte told reporters on Friday. "I said 'Stop this, you must withdraw the law and, if you don't like that and really say that the European values are not your values, then you must think about whether to remain in the European Union.'"

Several people told The Associated Press that the meeting in Brussels got very tense and emotional.

Hungary's president signed the law Wednesday. The government says the law will protect children. But critics say it is unfair to homosexuals. The law will take effect in about two weeks.

Speaking in Brussels, Orban said he would not withdraw the law. He said it does not target gay people.

"It's not about homosexuality, it's about the kids and the parents," Orban said. "I am defending the rights of homosexual guys but this law is not about them."

Orban has been in power since 2010 and is facing an election next year. He has pushed laws that support what he says are traditional Catholic values.

EU members Hungary and Poland have disagreed with other EU countries before. Their governments often support policies considered conservative by other EU members.

The EU has disapproved¹ of laws that Hungary has passed affecting reporters, judges, immigrants and academics.

Xavier Bettel is the Prime Minister of Luxembourg and is openly gay. He said the EU should fight the law. He also said Hungary should be subject to an EU rule that decreases money for countries that pass anti-democratic laws. The new rule has not yet been tested.

Seventeen out of 27 leaders, including German Chancellor² Angela Merkel, signed a joint³ letter stating their support of protecting gay rights.

"We all made it very clear which fundamental values" we follow, she said.

Bettel said the only country other than Poland to support Orban during the meeting was Slovenia.

He said it was time for the EU to use its new rules.

"Most of the time, money is more convincing than talk," Bettel said.

Words in This Story

homosexuality –n. being sexually attracted to people of the same sex

LGBT -–acronym -Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender

academic — n. a person who is a teacher in a college or university

fundamental — adj. forming or relating to the most important part of something

convincing— adj. causing someone to believe that something is true or certain

1 disapproved   

v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。