Left-wing and liberal repercussions of the Budapest gay pride march

An alt-left blogger calls on gay activists to distance themselves from what she calls neoliberal governments and corporations. A liberal commentator suggests that opponents of same sex marriage are struggling with their own sexual identities.

Mandiner’s Orsolya Lehotai commenting on this year’s Budapest Pride march (see BudaPost  July 9) calls on gay movements to become more radical. The alt-left blogger thinks that gay activists should distance themselves both from governments and corporate interests. She believes that governments support gay pride events to whitewash their own neoliberal and anti-immigrant policies, while companies advocating gay rights want to create ideal capitalist workers and consumers through ‘biopolitics’ which prescribe what behaviour is acceptable for homosexuals. Lehotai thinks that gays should resist such tendencies, counter neoliberal globalism and ‘become dangerous fags rather than decent homosexuals’.

In Heti Világgazdaság, Tamás Gomperz lambasts government politicians who oppose same sex marriage and criticize gay pride marches. The liberal commentator suggests that to feel a need to openly advocate traditional family values and reject same sex marriage, politicians must be uncertain of their own sexual identities and preferences. Gomperz goes so far as to suggest that vocal opponents of gay rights are closet gays themselves. He notes that the toleration of gay rights is an important indicator of liberal values and freedom of private life, and therefore it is in everyone’s interest to defend the equal rights of homosexuals.

Tags: Gays, homophobia