The prestigious world photography exhibition, opened at the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, welcomes more than 4 million visitors from over 80 cities around the world every year, showcasing exceptional photographs. Its mission is to bring visual coverage of a variety of important events to a global audience.
But a set of five photos by Filipino photojournalist Hannah Reyes Morales prompted a far-right Hungarian lawmaker to file a complaint with the country's Ministry of Culture. And the latter decided that the pictures in question violate a Hungarian law, which prohibits the display of content of the LGBTQ+ community to minors.
Even with parental consent, children under the age of 18 are not allowed to visit the exhibition.
The photos show several elderly couples belonging to the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines who have shared a home for decades and cared for each other.
Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of the exhibition "World Press Photo", called the fact that this set of photos has been targeted by the Hungarian Government disturbing.
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"This is the first time we face censorship, for a certain audience in Europe," Khoury told the Associated Press. "It was a new experience for us and I find it sad, actually very disturbing," she concluded.
The moves to ban young people from the exhibition were the latest moves by the Hungarian government, led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. So the measures to stop this were restrictions on materials that promote homosexuality to minors in the media, including television, movies, advertisements and literature.
While the Government has insisted that the 2021 law for the "protection of children" is designed to isolate them from what they call "sexual propaganda".
There were obviously different perspectives on this exhibition and its content. Dora Duro, the far-right lawmaker who filed the complaint about the photos, said she was outraged when she visited the exhibition and rejected claims the government's decision limited press freedom or freedom of expression.
"How the minority of the LGBTQ community lives is not the biggest problem in the world. What we see as normal, what we describe and what we pass on to children as values, clearly affects them. This exhibition is harmful for minors, and I think for adults as well", said Duro to "Associated Press".
On the other hand, photographer Reyes Morales, through a statement sent by email, has indicated that the subjects in his photographs serve as "icons and role models" for the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines, and that they are not dangerous or harmful.
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"What is harmful is the limitation of visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community, and their right to exist and be seen. I am very upset that their story may not reach the people who need it most. I am also saddened by the fact that their history is being kept in the shadows", concluded Morales.
Tamas Revesz, former member of the jury at "World Press Photo", who has been the organizer of exhibitions in Hungary for more than three decades, said that in the said exhibition there are other more important photographs, such as the coverage of the war in Ukraine. He also says that these photographs are a thousand times more serious and shocking than Morales' series.
According to him, considering that about half of the 50 people who visit the exhibition every year are students, thousands of young Hungarians will now not have the opportunity to see the collection exhibited at "World Press Photo". And this is disturbing, because there are also other very significant photographs that do not contain images of this community.
"What the non-governmental organization 'World Press Photo Foundation' believes in is freedom of thought. Everyone is free to think what they want about the displayed images. These pictures were taken without prejudice and we must accept them without prejudice", declared Revesz.
Ultimately, many people are considering the Hungarian government's decision as a wrong and unprecedented move.
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The Ministry of Culture in Hungary did not respond to requests for an interview.
(Taken from "Associated Press", translated by Lea Krajkova)
