‘Do you support the unrestricted presentation of sexual media content that influences the development of underage children?’ In a national referendum likely to be held in the spring, Hungarians will be asked this question and others about the ‘promotion of gender reassignment’ to children, the holding of sexual orientation classes without parental consent, and whether or not they ‘support the display of gender-sensitive media content’ to kids. Parliament approved the referendum on Tuesday; opposition MPs chose not to vote on what they see as an egregious waste of public money. But this has cleared the way for an attempt by Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party to cloak its controversial crackdown on LGBT freedoms with the legitimacy of public support. Back in June, Orbán’s party introduced a ‘child protection law’ banning the presentation of LGBT-related content in spaces accessible to children. In the face of predictable global outcry, Fidesz stood their ground, claiming their sole intention is to shield young people from an ‘LGBT ideology’ on matters of sexual identity – a force linked, in Fidesz’s view, to an EU whose ideological imperialism threatens to undermine traditional Hungarian values. The ban on so-called ‘LGBT propaganda’ – placed alongside provisions in the bill relating to paedophilia – was an incendiary move. But Hungary is far from the only LGBT sceptic in central and eastern Europe. The reasons for this are complex, and unique to each country’s specific history and culture. Traditional Christian values continue to play a strong role in the lives of many Poles and Hungarians – but even in the region’s more atheist countries, such as the Czech Republic, there’s a sense that ‘LGBT ideology’ is the product of a decades-long western cultural process which hasn’t been followed by ex-Communist states. Alongside the influence of the past runs fear of the future. Fidesz’s LGBT policy is intrinsically linked to its concern for the survival of the traditional family model – a matter of particular economic and social significance for Hungary.