Hungary will have a new 24-hour LGBTQI TV channel, and now, incoming PM Péter Magyar (Tisza) has announced some LGBT-friendly figures to serve in his education ministry.
Judit Lannert will head up the Ministry for Children and Education. Aside from degrees in economics and social policy, she also holds a PhD in sociology and spent time studying in the U.S. Lannert, who displayed the Pride rainbow around her profile photo on Facebook during the protests against Fidesz’s Child Protection Law, was not the first pick. Rita Rubovszky, a Catholic expert and director of the Cistercian School Authority, was widely expected to take up the role.
But Magyar quickly caved to left-wing outcries and named Lennert to the post, where she will presumably work on a more open-minded and “creative” approach to Hungarian education. Many are wondering what exactly this will entail. She has previously advocated for the closing of small schools to deal with the shortage of teachers in Hungary, saying the country must achieve greater efficiency.
There is no question that Lennert is distinctly left-leaning, and this goes beyond her support for Pride and opposition to a Hungarian law banning any sort of LGBTQI education in elementary schools.
This past February, the appointed minister reposted a video by an influencer, pushing the message that wellness is somehow directly linked to fascism. “Many people in Hungary can probably relate to this,” Lennert commented on her repost.
Perhaps more telling in just how far to the left education will go in Hungary is the choice by Péter Magyar of Kriszta Bódis, who will work within the Prime Minister’s Office, led by Bálint Ruff, coordinating health care, education, social policy, and other areas.
Bódis, who served as a socio-political consultant for Tisza during its campaign, is well-known as the author of a children’s homosexual-themed book called “Csipke Józsika,” about a little boy who explores his sexual identity and self-awareness. “Csipke Rózsika” is “Sleeping Beauty” in Hungarian, so the name of this book is already a LGBT play on that, as Józsika is a nickname for Joseph.
According to Kulturpart, the book approaches traditional gender roles and otherness in a unique way, telling the story of a gay prince using fairy tale elements to reflect on social acceptance and difference.
