The Hungarian government has dismissed this Monday the director of the National Museum of Budapest, László L.Simon, for allowing minors to enter the photographic exhibition of the prestigious World Press Photo, which exhibited images about the LGTBI community in the Philippines.
The Minister of Culture, János Csák, has justified this decision by stating that the director has failed to comply with "legal obligations when required, and has engaged in conduct that has made his continuity in office impossible."
For his part, after receiving the news of his dismissal, L.Simon has communicated that although he takes note of the decision, he cannot accept it, since he considers that "the museum has not deliberately violated any law by exhibiting the images in the World exhibition Press Photo".
It was at the end of October that the far-right party Movimiento Nuestra Patria denounced that the selection made by World Press Photo of the best snapshots from the international press included images not suitable for minors, in application of the so-called "defense of minors" law. ", which prohibits minors from viewing LGTBI content.
Following the complaint, the Hungarian Ministry of Culture considered that, indeed, the set of five photos by Filipino photojournalist Hannah Reyes Morales that document life in an LGTBI community of elderly people violated said law.
Last year, the European Commission opened a file on this law, understanding that it violates fundamental rights and values of the EU. Furthermore, numerous human rights organizations have considered that this regulation is homophobic, because it equates homosexuality with pedophilia and prohibits talking about homosexuality and sex change to minors.
