Hungary Changes Constitution to Mandate Two Genders

Emboldened by President Trump, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary on Monday escalated his culture war against what he calls “gender madness,” after his governing party voted to amend the Constitution to mandate that all Hungarians are either male or female.The amendment proposed by the government was endorsed by Parliament, where the prime minister’s Fidesz party has a large majority.It was the latest in a series of moves by Mr.

Orban to rev up his conservative base and distract attention from economic problems and a surging opposition movement ahead of elections next year.“The international gender network must take its hands off our children,” Mr.Orban said on Monday.

“Now, with the change in America, the winds have shifted in our favor,” he added, referring to the re-election of Donald J.Trump as president.The amendment on gender included a clause that enshrined the protection of children’s “physical, mental and moral development,” reinforcing a law passed last month that banned gay pride events as a danger to the welfare of the very young.The legislature also changed the Constitution to allow the government to strip dual nationals of their Hungarian citizenship if they are deemed dangerous to the nation.

Some of Mr.Orban’s most vocal critics are Hungarians who fled abroad and took a second citizenship in another country.The changes were part of what Mr.

Orban said last month would be a “spring cleaning” to cleanse Hungarian politics of “stink bugs.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....