Interview: Hungary’s U.S. Ambassador Blasts Anti-LGBTQ Crackdown

metroweekly.com:

“The story of the LGBT movement in Hungary, and the story of the fight for human rights in Hungary, is a story that is being written by Hungarians,” says David Pressman, the U.S.

ambassador to Hungary and one of six out gay men currently serving as a U.S. ambassador abroad. Since assuming his current post last year, Pressman has been ridiculed and attacked by pro-government media in Hungary for his outspokenness when it comes to LGBTQ issues, which run counter not only to the Viktor Orbán-led government’s crackdown on LGBTQ visibility but the overarching rise of right-wing populism –- complete with the social conservatism that underlies that political philosophy –- across the globe.As The New York Times previously reported, Pressman was attacked by anti-LGBTQ activists in Hungary before the U.S.

Senate had even voted favorably on his nomination, which was ultimately approved in July 2022.While Pressman was awaiting confirmation, a boat sailed down the Danube River in Budapest, close to the site of the U.S.

embassy, with a banner bearing a skull and crossbones. “Mr. Pressman,” the banner read, “don’t colonize Hungary with your cult of death.”Pressman has since taken a photo of that banner and displays it prominently in his office at the embassy.Despite the personal attacks, primarily related to his sexual orientation, Pressman rejects the characterization that he is pushing an “agenda” by speaking out about human rights concerns and abuses in the increasingly autocratic country.“It’s not about me,” he told Metro Weekly in an interview prior to Hungary’s annual Pride march on July 15. “It is about the young [LGBTQ] Hungarians who have approached me on the street and described a vision for their country that includes them.