Two students who participated in this summer’s Budapest Pride
One of the most distinguished purposes of a Danish upper secondary school as well as the IB Diploma programme is to shape students into responsible, reflective, and proactive citizens who insist on contributing to our shared society—both locally and internationally. In two articles, we spotlight students who are already actively engaged.
“I’ve known since I was eight years old that I had to get away.” “And I’ve known since I was twelve.” These statements come from Nóra and Léna, both students in the IB programme at Grenaa Gymnasium, and both originally from Hungary.
This year, they spent part of their summer vacation participating in the annual pride event in Hungary. “I wish the pride in Hungary could be like the one in Aarhus—a cozy festival,” says Léna. But that wasn’t the case in Budapest, where the event had been prohibited by the country’s government. Participants faced the risk of fines. “But there were far too many of us, so the police gave up trying to issue fines,” Léna explains.
This year’s Budapest Pride saw record attendance, most sources estimate up to 200.000 participants, many of whom were not part of the LGBTQ+ community but had come to demonstrate their support.
It was Léna’s fifth Pride and Nóra’s first. “I chose to participate because I decided I must speak up for myself and other queer people,” says Nóra. “I’m privileged — I could afford to pay the fine if I got one. I couldn’t stay silent any longer, even if it might have consequences for me later.”
Nóra and Léna stress that their motivation to join the Budapest Pride was to stand up for LGBTQ-rights that are under an increasing and worrying pressure. “There is also a democratic aspect to the protest,” says Lena. “It can’t be right that the government gets to decide who has the right to protest.”
Léna and Nóra explain that life for LGBTQ+ individuals is becoming increasingly difficult in Hungary. Legislation only recognizes two genders, and gender-affirming treatment has been restricted. The right to legal gender change has been suspended, and LGBTQ+ individuals are not allowed to gather publicly. “So, we both feel a social responsibility to take actively part in advocacy that we are neclecting because we are not there,” Nóra says.
“This is one of the most difficult aspects of our stay here in Denmark,” Léna adds. “A sense of guilt for not standing up for our selves and others in our home country. But on the other hand, it is also important and a privilege that we are able to make the decision whether to engage or distance ourselves. “
Another privilege is that here in Grenaa, at Grenaa Gymnasium, we have time and space to develop ourselves, “ Léna adds. “We both feel safer expressing ourselves and standing up for other people since we came here, and our presence in important social and political events, such as this year’s Budapest Pride, demonstrates how our stay in Denmark provides us with hope and encourage us to stand up for what we deem important.”
