by Jamie Wareham

Transgender people in Hungary have lost legal recognition, as the country makes it impossible for people to legally change gender. In the earth-shattering move for the transgender community by Viktor Orbán’s parliament, who are currently ruling by decree due to emergency COVID-19 laws, a massive omnibus bill has just passed.

Amendments designed to protect transgender people have been rejected, ILGA-Europe confirms.

Global and European LGBT+ rights organisations have been denouncing the plans, that was, despite protests to ‘Drop 33’, all but expected to pass into law today.

Until this new law passed, identity documents could be changed in Hungary by law. But Article 33’s approval today, will only confirm the fear created by a suspension on changing gender in that way, in place for two years already.

All references of "sex" will now instead refer to "sex assigned at birth" in the national registry and on identity documents. This amendment ends any opportunity for legal gender recognition in Hungary, because identity documents will now reference the immutable characteristic of “sex assigned at birth.” Read more via Forbes