Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Red Bull Ring, 2021

Hamilton attacks Hungary’s ‘cowardly, anti-LGBTQ+’ new law

2021 Hungarian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton has spoken out against discriminatory new legislation introduced by the Hungarian government, ahead of this weekend’s race in the country.

The seven-times world champion vehemently criticised the law in a post to his 23 million Instagram followers today.

The Hungarian parliament last month approved a law which bans gay people from appearing in television programmes or educational material aimed at those under the age of 18.

“To all in this beautiful country Hungary,” Hamilton wrote. “Ahead of the grand prix this weekend, I want to share my support for those affected by the governments’ anti-LGBTQ+ law.

“It is unacceptable, cowardly and misguiding for those in power suggest such a law. Everyone deserves to have the freedom to be themselves, no matter who they love or how they identify.”

Hungary’s far-right prime minister Viktor Orban announced plans for a referendum on his plans to censor LGBTQ+ education, which he refers to as “child protection”. Hamilton called on his Hungarian supporters to participate in the vote to defends LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

“I urge the people of Hungary to vote in the upcoming referendum to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, they need our support more than ever,” he continued. “Please show love for those around you because love will always win. Sending you positivity.”

Last month football organisation UEFA forbade Munich city council from displaying the colours of the gay pride flag on its stadium ahead of a match between Germany and Hungary, a decision which was criticised by Sebastian Vettel.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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116 comments on “Hamilton attacks Hungary’s ‘cowardly, anti-LGBTQ+’ new law”

  1. In his shoes I might have waited until after the race to make his (valid) protest. In a year when the championship is so close it would be a catastrophe if the Hungarian government took exception to his comments and somehow prevented him from racing …

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      29th July 2021, 10:38

      If they tried to stop one of the drivers fighting for the title from competing, I’d say that’d be bye-bye Hungarian GP…. I don’t always agree with the way Hamilton goes about these things but fair play to him for calling them out on this in the build-up to the GP. I hope he says more over the course of the weekend.

    2. Just arrest him for qualfier could be possible and release after the ‘interview’

      1. Not even China would do that.

    3. The chances of that scenario happening are as near to nothing that it makes no difference, but if it were to happen I would expect the whole F1 community to come together and not race, followed by Hungary being dropped from the calendar

  2. Okay, maybe I’m completely wrong, but this seems something we can all agree upon here? Maybe?

    1. GS (@gsagostinho)
      29th July 2021, 10:42

      The reaction on Reddit has been overwhelmingly positive, so there’s hope.

      1. Only if reddit is your moral compass.
        Not sure if that is a good thing.

        1. GS (@gsagostinho)
          29th July 2021, 11:39

          OP is talking about overall agreement and I just added that this seems to be the case in another major discussion forum for F1. My own moral compass has no connection to what people post on Reddit, nor on this website, nor to your message. I suspect you are deliberately misunderstanding with I wrote.

          1. Your “hope” was based on reddit postings. So it seems that is an important source for you.

          2. GS (@gsagostinho)
            29th July 2021, 12:34

            Yes, Reddit gave me hopes that most people would react positively to an obviously important issue. Clearly it was misguided.

        2. I think the point is that Reddit is a place where, more often than not, heated arguments errupt and devolve into nastiness. If even Reddit is showing an overwhelmingly positive reaction, it’s probably something the vast majority can agree on.

          1. I actually find the Reddit F1 threads less heated than it gets right here. Probably because there are more fans that are more “casual” and thus less partisan.

    2. Sadly, as a Hungarian I can tell you that here it is not the case. A large percentage of people are bigoted, and he’s not popular here (you can guess why), and while he certainly won’t change any person’s mind, he might have an uncomfortable weekend (although an F1 crowd might not care about these things too much). Fortunately the pro-LGBTQ+ stance is much more popular than just a few years ago, but I’m afraid too many people’s minds cannot be changed on even smaller issues than this.

      I am neutral about Hamilton, but I’m glad he raised his voice, and I’m hopeful a few others might join him, although he’s wrong on that people should vote on the referendum (the questions are very cynical and the referendum isn’t legitimized anyway if without a 50% attendance).

    3. this seems something we can all agree upon here? Maybe?

      Not at all. After all, this is Lewis Hamilton, the Great Satan of Formula 1 saying things, so it must be wrong. Very wrong.

      Watch people complain about how he said it, the timing, his choice of words, or even lambast him for his stance.

      If Lewis Hamilton walked on water, a lot of folks will still complain about how and why he did it.

      I wonder why??

    4. Not sure. I mean, it’s great that he complains about this, but he has participated in the Abu Dhabi GP for many years, and AFAIK (please correct me if I’m wrong) he has never criticized the UAE government for their stance on LGBTQI, which is far worse than that of the Hungarian government. So, unless I’m missing something, it looks like there might be a bit of a double standard here.

  3. Homosexually is punishable by death in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. As much as I commend Lewis for his words on the current situation in Hungry, will he or anyone involved in F1 say a thing when they get to Arabia. #WeRaceAsOne

    1. I’m confident he will, actually. If F1 takes any action, now that’s a different story.

    2. Actions have consequences which may impact the speaker

    3. It’s not only Homosexuality, but, those who identify as transgender are also likely to be determined to be immoral and as such potentially also face the death penalty.

    4. ian dearing
      29th July 2021, 12:49

      Well if I was as interested as others seem to be I would at least know that those representing Ham and others have already had those talks, albeit not related to F1. But I would also know that other F1 drivers are leading on this and had a meeting with the promoter (who I suspect given my cynical nature is part of the family) , so I would expect some good reason why people are not happy with what they are doing, or why they see Hamilton as being critical to those particular discussions. I would also know that Hamilton has already been invited for talks in Saudi Arabia.

    5. Given that he has spoken out at other events recently hosted in countries with oppressive laws on such matters, I’m pretty confident he will.

  4. Funny, but stupid

  5. I find the attitude of such policies rather absurd. Pretend something doesn’t exist and the children will never know! So what happens when a kid meets his gay uncle or trans aunty? Education is much more worthwhile.

    1. @tommy-c I don’t think this kind of legislation isn’t about pretending LGBTQ+ people (or relationships) don’t exist, it’s telling kids they shouldn’t exist. If sexual preference is formed early, which seems to be more or less a scientific consensus, then some children (in Hungary or elsewhere) will be taught that their emergent understanding of themselves is ‘bad’, punishable, illegal, while others will be taught it’s OK to repress and persecute certain groups of people. I suspect that’s why far right authoritarian regimes and their followers always pick on LGBTQ+ people as a default target they can amplify to target other groups. (Incidentally George Galloway recently used the same tactic in a UK byelection, not just a Hungary thing.)

      1. *I don’t think this kind of legislation is about

      2. Yep. When trying to oppress the population, always start with minority groups which significant numbers of people are already uncomfortable with. Authoritarianism 101.

  6. How did you tell people?

  7. A country has no opinion. People in countries have opinions and opinions can be formed on information. And misinformation, sadly.

  8. Adam (@rocketpanda)
    29th July 2021, 11:34

    Good on him to use his platform to spread that message.

  9. Just like your post.

  10. And what about Saudi Arabia and all the other 3rd world countries that promote slavery etc.

    1. Hi Chris, what about the anti-LGBTQ+ riots in Georgia last month? Just checking that you are absolutely protesting every issue, since it’s impossible to address one without bringing up all the others.

      1. @hazelsouthwell I think it’s become a default on social media for people who dismiss any speaking out against discriminatory practices to use ‘whataboutism’ followed by accusations of ‘liberal hypocrisy’. If that doesn’t work, there’s usually a play for reverse victimhood (straight white people are the real victims etc.).

        1. Yep. And don’t forget the “There are much bigger problems in the world” argument.

        2. Doesn’t mean they’re wrong though. Saudi Arabia’s LGBT rights are much much much club worse than Hungary’s. It is punishable by death there whereas in Hungary it is legal.

          1. But just because Saudi is worse doesn’t mean Hungary shouldn’t be called out. Especially considering most people already know of Saudi’s problems, whereas many don’t have a clue about Hungary’s

      2. Broccoliface
        29th July 2021, 13:14

        He’s not protesting any as far as I see, just making a comment on ideological consistency. Hamilton however, we shall see.

      3. I would love for him to take that instance while in Saudi Arabia. Then we would know if either that government is really committed to its atrocities or not. It would be really awesome if he does that…

  11. Where are his “attacks” against killings of LGBTQ+ in Saudi Arabia?

    1. Where are your comments about the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in Georgia and the killing of Alexander Lachkarava?

      Just checking, since they must be prominent as we can’t bring up one bad thing without referencing all of them.

      1. Is there a F1 race in Georgia?
        Just checking….

        1. He is simply pointing out that Hamilton doesn’t need to attack every single anti-LGBT country in the world to make a point. Your point that this is pointless because he doesn’t talk about other countries is idiotic, and to be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if Hamilton calls out those countries as well when we get there. That’s coming from a Max fan as well btw

          1. He doesn’t need to attack every single country, but he does need to attack the ones on F1’s calendar (there are a few) as he travels to them. Abu Dhabi on the calendar is especially the worse as its punishable by death. In Singapore its also outright illegal albeit tolerated more in practice (and not in this year calendar).

            For the record, I am not saying he won’t. I am merely saying he needs to now that he set up the standard in Hungary. Compared to those countries, Hungary is not as bad even if its bad compared to Western European countries.

          2. @Chdjdje you’r an lDlOT and who gives a f..k who’s fan are you!
            It’s easy to comment about Hungary as it’s highly unlikely government will do anything about your comments even if you tell them in front of a parlament. There is 0% chance anyone would do it from the other side of the World and then go to Saudi Arabia… remember Jamal Khashoggi

        2. ian dearing
          29th July 2021, 15:00

          Is the next race Hungary or Saudi Arabia. Just checking.

        3. Sochi and Baku sandwich it babe, maybe have a little look a a map.

      2. @hazelsouthwell
        I think you are completely missing the point here. Hamilton pointing to an injustice and racism against LGBT community in Hungary is indeed a very good thing as he can put pressure on the Hungarian government through his wide social media platform to expose and eventually end the injustice.

        The thing is Hamilton primadonna behaviour doesn’t quite follow his actions. He is promoting himself as a role model and feels entitled to criticize and sometimes even accuse anyone (powerless) that he doesn’t agree with. How come he is criticizing the law in Hungary which is a bad thing BTW but not comparable to the atrocities that are happening in countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE. What do you call that ?

        I know that no one can be aware of everything bad happening in this world. I myself didn’t here about the death of Alexander Lachkarava till I read your comment. That doesn’t make me refrain from condemning that barbarian act. That also doesn’t make me homophobic in any way.

        You can’t claim the same thing for Hamilton. He knows exactly what’s happening in the Gulf region for all type of activists and not only the LGBT community. He surely must have heard of a journalist that was dismembered alive in a Saudi consulate in istanbul.

        The thing is and for some reason Hamilton is carefully choosing where and when to stand. For the BLM movement, he joined the party late and didn’t do a Kaepernick. He criticizes Dolphin shows in Japan, the Spanish bull shows (Corrida), LGBT issues in Hungary… but doesn’t say a word about what’s happening in Saudi Arabia, UAE… The reason, cash is king. These countries are very important from a financial standpoint for F1 which is paying his bosses at Mercedes which are paying him…

        1. We can talk about one thing, especially one thing that’s pertinent and topical for this specific Grand Prix where both a) Formula One is in Hungary, b) it is timely that Hamilton asks people to vote against homophobia in a referendum without needing to submit an academic thesis on the intersection of it to every injustice ever.

          It is neither primadonna behaviour nor hypocritical to send a clear, direct message on a specific issue. That is communication and awareness-raising.

          It’s why you say “fight homophobia” not “fight homophobia and also cruelty to bees” because they are not the same issue, do not have the same answers and do not need to be collectively lumped together. Hungary and Saudi Arabia have different governments.

          1. @hazelsouthwell
            I’ve already said that what he has done with regard to the anti-LGBT Hungarian law is the right thing to do. My point is he needs to do the same in every country he races in. LGBT rights are universal or am I missing something ?

            If he is raising awareness about censoring LGBTQ+ education on Hungary. He should also raise awareness about their mistreatment in countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE. I’m not condemning his behaviour for speaking about the Hungarian anti-LGBT law. I’m condemning his silence about the same issues happening in other countries he actually chose to race in.

            If you want to inspire people by being a civil rights activist, you have to have the courage to speak for the all the people especially the powerless regardless of the consequences. For example : Ali literally gave up on his boxing career when he was at his peak, a devastating fighter on the top of the world with a 29-0 record for a social political principle.

          2. @tifoso1989 I see you have a crystal ball that has revealed Hamilton will say nothing in Saudi Arabia, a race which won’t happen for four months.

            It is absolute whataboutery to say that Hamilton or Vettel can’t raise these issues now simply because they haven’t before. It’s growth, which both of them have clearly been doing in terms of education on issues.

            Hamilton actually has spoken out regarding the human rights situation in Bahrain, for instance but it is particularly uncomfortable that he has to act as F1’s conscience simply because he raises issues as he becomes aware of them. I don’t see the campaign for Raikkonen to speak out, or Alonso or Leclerc… Even though all three have done charity work and awareness-raising on causes like road safety, so they must be hugely hypocritical by your working.

          3. @hazelsouthwell Sorry Hazel, didn’t see your post before replying, you’ve made virtually the same points.

          4. @hazelsouthwell

            Very well said!

        2. @tifoso1989 Why are you trying to second guess what Hamilton might say about a Saudi Arabia GP that hasn’t ever taken place yet? Timing is also essential to any protest. In terms of Bahrain, he spoke last year about advocating on human rights on a personal basis if and when he could, though he came down with Covid-19 over that period. Maybe that’s not enough for you, presuming you’re actually interested in these issues and not just accusing of Hamilton of hypocrisy as so many others here who clearly have zero interest in human rights, much the opposite. But if so you, you have to ask whether condemning him for speaking on one issue and not others or indeed every possible issue under the sun is (a) productive and (b) in any sense just.

        3. @hazelsouthwell
          It was already decided that a race will be scheduled in Saudi Arabia and no statement was made by Hamilton condemning F1 or labelling the Saudi government as cowards. Besides he also raced in the UAE and wasn’t as talkative as he was in Hungary.

          Let’s say that my crystall ball is crappy and Hamilton will be also critical of the Saudi government when the race will happen. I’ll be the first one to apologize here for you, for him and for everyone who felt offended by my comments. I didn’t say Hamilton and Vettel cannot speak about these issues because they haven’t before. I said that he only speaks when he feels it’s safe to do so.

          I see where you are coming from citing Raikkonen, Alonso and Leclerc… and whether I consider them to be hypocrites or not. I don’t see them calling out their colleagues publicly… nor pretending something that they are not. If you want play the activist role, you have to play it to the fullest.

          1. @tifoso1989 So we can take it you’d also be brave enough to publicly take on an authoritarian regime, known to execute dissenters and critics? Harass critics elsewhere? Maybe request covert surveillance of them (check out the recent Pegasus revelations) and use their extensive media channels, worldwide, against that person? All risks that would have to be measured in this particular case. It continually amazes me what people expect others to do.

          2. @david-br
            We can still debate without having to pull rants on each others, can we ?

            What if I tell you just for the record that I have already come up with an entire generation in an intensive civil resistance campaign against one of the most oppressive regimes in the worlds that was backed by the United States and France 10 years ago. The resistance campaign that resulted in injuries and casualties led to the ousting of long-time dictatorship and triggered a revolution across the entire country.

            You don’t have to label me as a coward just because I disagree with Hamilton.

          3. @tifoso1989 I didn’t label you a coward, actually, but sorry for any offence. The question still stands: why are you taking to task virtually the only driver to make some kind of public stand on human rights, knowing from personal experience what this entails? You realize making this argument about Hamilton on Saudi Arabia gives succour to people who’d prefer nobody did anything? Kept quiet? Or even support such authoritarian regimes? I’m not getting your angle on this.

          4. @david-br
            The point is I have never said that Hamilton should be quite about any issues just because he doesn’t speak about Saudi Arabia. It’s the exact opposite. I want Hamilton to speak about every issue in Hungary, Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE…

            While it’s not Hamilton’s job to speak about every human right infringement in this world and it’s an unrealistic target to expect from anyone. I expect Hamilton to make the difference within his F1 environment. He is making a difference but for me he can do more.

            If he himself can have that primadonna attitude and call people out when he thought they were silent. At least he can expect the same. I expect Hamilton to be coherent and make a difference within his F1 world. If he is speaking about issues happening in Spain, Hungary, Japan, USA…. there is no reason that prevent him from speaking about the same issues in Saudi Arabia and UAE.

            As you have mentioned it’s quite dangerous with the current situation of the world to come up against an authoritarian regime. Everyone is entitled to guard his own life. That’s the first principle of human rights. The right to have a life. However, my personal opinion, is that Hamilton speaks on human rights when it’s comfortable for him to do so.

            This is a personal opinion not an attack on human rights. If anything, I want Hamilton to do more and get out of his comfort zone and criticize those people who seems to buy the silence of anybody nowadays. One thing is that I don’t accept this sort of debate where people are condemning you just for expressing a different opinion. Sometimes they don’t have any clue about what they’re talking about… Hope you have had understood my point.

          5. @tifoso1989 Thanks for the reply. I just think you’re (a) expecting way too much – he made his remarks about the anti-LGBTQ+ law in Hungary while preparing for a GP and with the concerted effort by Red Bull to get him further penalized for an incident two weeks ago (and, as Mercedes argued, tarnish his name) so you can hardly accuse him of not paying attention to an issue (and possibly attracting more hostile attacks on himself) in an already intense schedule, and (b) expecting too little, already anticipating that he won’t raise human rights issues in the run-up to the Saudi Arabia GP (which would be much more effective than now) or any other. Obviously, too, were seeing the evolution of someone who, as he himself has said, had a somewhat sheltered and ‘depoliticized’ upbringing now fielding multiple demands on his time and energy from around the world. Again, with the Hamilton Commission etc. you can’t accuse him of not making an effort to inform himself while being proactive on the issues he’s addressing. There is also the question, I feel, of asking far too much of one person, however iconic, and especially when that person is singled out already (positively by many or negatively by a few) as the only black driver in F1. For this reason I have huge admiration now for Seb Vettel for backing BLM and also for pushing his own issues, using his fame to focus on environmental issues, as a form of solidarity with Lewis – I think that’s obvious in their rapport now. Maybe it’s the way you introduced your comments with the ‘prima donna’ label for Hamilton, which I just find unjustified and, well, a bit lazy – it tends to be used by fans of other drivers as a putdown that feeds into other negative tropes about him (related to lifestyle, music, fashion) which have nothing to do with his racing and little to do with the issues he is increasingly campaigning on (save where he’s identifying with black culture through how he presents himself).

    2. Reads ‘vehemently criticised’ as “attacks”, this really tells a lot about a persons inner workings…..Have you ever dreamed of Wolves?

      1. I dreamed I was Gary Lineker once….But that was when he played for Everton.

  12. Admiration for Hamilton speaking out (and Vettel too over UEFA’s ridiculous ban).
    My baseline is that global sports have to be globally inclusive – and that doesn’t mean just nations but the people in them. If a country can’t take the heat for discriminatory practices, don’t host a global sport. That said, any nation banning certain people from attending (based on sexual preference, ethnicity, colour, religion) should be automatically excluded. Personally I think this includes Saudi Arabia.

    1. Looks like Western European neo colonialism is back on track.

      1. @yaru I think you’ll find it’s western (US and European) neo-colonialism that put the Saudi Arabia regime in power in the first place.

        1. (maybe I didn’t get your point there)

  13. ian dearing
    29th July 2021, 12:22

    Not. He has 3,753 world problems to solve to everyone’s satisfaction before he gets to your pet peeve. He also has a further 745,978 whataboutisms to consider and prioritise which may affect timelines.
    In addition Karen from RB has insisted she sees his manager as she thinks she is not getting the attention she deserves.

  14. As (not the only but the loudest) an LGBTQ+ contributor to this site (and comment moderator so yes, I do have to read all the vile ones) it means an overwhelming amount that Hamilton and Vettel and to some other extent the other drivers support us. Section 28 was still in place when I was a teenager, having the right to marry someone I love is a new thing, within my adult life. The teen I look after is still fighting for his rights, which breaks my heart.

    Being LGBTQ+ is not a choice. It is not an option for us. If you’ve never lived in fear or been ostracised by your family or lost out on opportunities because of who you are then you probably think it is something that doesn’t matter but if you have, it really does.

    I’m from Georgia, where we had shocking riots and violence against Tbilisi Pride last month, including the murder of journalist Alexander Lachkarava. If you want to have a talk about LGBTQ+ oppression and whether it means something that one of the biggest sports stars in the world speaks out for us then I am happy to answer questions. If you want to bad-faith suggest it doesn’t matter, that we should shut up, then expect the full hairdryer treatment.

    1. Class :)

      btw I think the whatabout posts in this thread are just duplicate accounts looking for attention

    2. Well said Hazel.

    3. Adam (@rocketpanda)
      29th July 2021, 13:00

      LGBTQ+ too. No further to add just wanted to be supportive, and that seeing visible support from drivers with their profile does help. I rather wish the teams and F1 would show a degree of support too.

    4. Coventry Climax
      29th July 2021, 13:03

      10+

      1. Coventry Climax
        29th July 2021, 13:23

        btw, there was a 14 y.o. girl beaten up to the point of being hospitalized, recently in the netherlands. Reason?
        She was asked if she was a boy or a girl, and replied that it didn’t matter, and that for the person asking too, it was irrelevant.
        It should be completely irrelevant what clothes one likes to wear, what person one loves. If it makes you happy, do it.
        I actually dislike the word ‘gender’, as it implicitly labels persons or even claims to identify entire groups of people, as much as ‘black’ or ‘white’ do. As if those labels ‘say it all’. Being such a tiny aspect in the gamma of person’s personalities, these labels don’t even have the right to exist.
        But first labeling and then polarizing seems all the rage these days, with so many presidents in the world acting as role models.

    5. Also LGBTQ+.

  15. With the Hungarian anti LGBT law only coming into effect earlier this month, it does make for an ideal opportunity for Hamilton to speak out about this and show that he includes LGBT in his diversity. Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi see LGBT as immoral and as such potentially face the death penalty, along with many other Islamic countries (Bahrain is an exception, but, still face prejudice).

    As someone who identifies as transgender, I know that even in the UK, there are many people who are very transphobic or see transgender people as an item of ridicule. It is something that even the UK government have looked to implement legislation (stopping transgender women from using ladies toilets as a recent example).

    1. @maddme In part it may be generational. I have two sons and the oldest, a teenager, has a couple of friends who are ‘gender fluid’ (girls who identify as boys, openly at school). Intolerance seems to be instilled later – acceptance of diversity comes first with children, in my experience. So while the younger generation seems more relaxed in general, I find it increasingly bizarre that older generations, including some ‘second generation’ feminists I once read with admiration, find this acceptance cognitively difficult. The ban on transgender women using women’s toilets being one example. The ‘argument’ is that ‘real women’ feel threatened by ‘women who are really men’ using them based on experience of ‘male’ violence. Not only does this argument insist on saying trans women are misidentifying themselves, and making them feel judged wholly in the wrong for that, it spectacularly misses the point that LGBTQ+ people are among the most likely to be violently attacked or killed worldwide.

      1. Yeah I thought I was a liberal once too until I got older (I am a millennial). Then I realized I was only more liberal than the generations before me, not after me. People are a product of their time. For example, very little people in UK even among conservatives would advocate criminalization of homosexuality in general even if they say, do not support gay marriage.

        That is an average generalization and they are exceptions of course and deviations from the norm, but on average people of a generation values start a certain place and then stay there. The younger generation that are more relaxed on this issue? Well once they grow older they will be less acceptance to some newer trends that come after them, and the cycle continues. One day, they will be the old out of touch conservatives decades from now relative to the younger generations then. Just like the Baby Boomers of today are (on average) more liberal than their parents but more conservative the Gen Y/Z.

        There’s also geography and national cultures to consider but that will take another post.

        1. @yaru You’re probably right, I just hope at some point nobody will be offended any longer by other people’s gender identifications or preferences. It should be a non-issue.

  16. Anyone else remember when he filmed his nephew in a dress, took the mickey out of them and then put the video on Instagram?

    1. @joshgeake Yes. He learnt from that. Anything else?

    2. @joshgeake Remember a few months after that, he was walking around Disneyland holding his nephew’s hand (whilst his nephew was wearing a dress).

      Time to move on from that one.

      1. @maddme Brilliant, I didn’t know that.

          1. +1 Thanks Ian.

    3. To be fair, he felt really bad about it and really gave a heartfelt apology to the nephew.

  17. As much as I agree with Hamilton it’s that last statement that really shows he doesn’t have a clue:

    “Please show love for those around you because love will always win. Sending you positivity.”

    Deeply indoctrinated christian people vote for Orban and these laws out of love of their children.
    These people believe that abiding by “God’s laws” is loving their children, and other people that have strayed of the path of God.

    And that is why according to me F1 needs to start making really difficult choices, you can’t on the one hand promote one love and diversity and on the other hand accept people’s money and condemn their believes.

    You either don’t go, or you accept what is going on in the nations that host F1..
    Because how can one credibly say they care about diversity and equality when they support and whitewash regimes, that commit crimes against humanity.

  18. It’s largely irrelevant anyway given that children in 2021 are educated via an unfiltered internet connection.

    Mine don’t really know what live TV is let alone watch any of the advertisements encouraging ‘homosexual activity’.

  19. Even though I agree with him, he will not do such thing in Saudi Arabia, which is a shame…

    1. I’d love to know where you got your crystal ball from.

      Seeing as Hamilton has spoken out at other GPs held in oppressive regimes about such issues in the past, I think it likely that he will say something when they get to Saudi Arabia.

      If he doesn’t, though, it would be completely understandable. Saudi Arabia have been known to arrest even celebrities for speaking out against their regime. Using your platform to speak out and raise awareness is one thing, risking your freedom and safety is a whole other level.

  20. I love the way that one person’s comment was removed for not being entirely aligned with Hamilton’s thinking 😂.

    I can’t say I particularly agreed with their comments but it’s worth remembering that you can’t win the argument by simply silencing its critics.

    1. @joshgeake as this is a racing website there’s no reason to host homophobia, as I’m sure we can all agree. Whether someone should be allowed to live with the same rights as others or not is not up for debate.

      1. I know what you’re saying, I’m just not comfortable with people’s opinions being deleted for having been deemed ‘wrong’. It all feels quite similar to how they choose to treat LGBTQ+ community.

        1. @joshgeake absolutely not. One person’s whimsy to write dismissive comments about people’s struggles on a racing website is in no way equivalent to people’s rights to live without government harassment.

          (and yes, I most certainly do know what it is like living in an oppressive country with a police state so don’t even try that – what a very, very silly point to make – again, human rights debates are not the subject of RaceFans)

        2. @joshgeake

          The only thing which should not and cannot be tolerated in a tolerant society is intolerance. All people should be allowed to live as they choose, as long as that life doesn’t stop others from living as they choose. Someone living as a homosexual, transexual or any other such has no material impact on those who don’t, but someone expressing homophobic comments does impact homosexuals etc.

          So, yes, homophobic comments should be deleted. People shouldn’t be subjected to hate speech when coming to discuss the sport they love.

          1. @drmouse … well, yes, I agree…but, who’s to judge what’s homophobic?

          2. @joshgeake People who experience homophobia. Which is prejudice, legal, social or cultural, against people who aren’t straight. There are some more granular words for getting into the details (biphobia, etc) and it doesn’t exclusively come from straight people towards the LGBTQ+ community because issues are complex and intersecting and self-hatred can be very strong.

            You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t think that homophobia is really an issue or that you think it’s fair to humour both sides. Which says you don’t experience it.

            Hiding relationships, having the idea of holding hands with someone you love equated to an obscenity, always having to be nervous about revealing your home life in case of a bad reaction – and the outright violence faced by people in much of the world for just trying to live like everyone else,

            The charity Just Like Us did a study that showed all children benefitted from schools where positive examples of LGBTQ+ lives were shown. Less anxiety, less pressure to conform to gender stereotypes in case anyone accused them of being gay or different, a more welcoming environment. Fighting homophobia is not just about the benefits it offers to LGBTQ+ people, it is about improving society overall and changing lives.

            The Trevor Project found that having just one adult support them made LGBTQ+ children drastically less likely to take their own lives. I don’t know about you but I’d much rather be that adult than quibble on the semantics of homophobia.

          3. @joshgeake

            While overall in society, the answer to your question is very well answered by @hazelsouthwell, on this site the specific answer is the site owners and moderators. They have final say over what is considered acceptable to say in this space. They don’t have to allow anyone to speak, and can enforce any rules the want. They can kick out anyone saying things they dislike or disagree with.

          4. @hazelsouthwell

            You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t think that homophobia is really an issue or that you think it’s fair to humour both sides.

            I think this is the problem with victims being the ones to point out homophobia – at no point have I suggested any of the above…but you’ve just assumed it because of your point of view.

          5. @joshgeake you said that me removing comments that dismissed the effects of oppressive laws against LGBTQ+ people was just as bad as making those laws. That is playing both sides (as well as just ridiculous) – you seem to think that the right to say whatever inflammatory thing someone wants is somehow more important than the damage that can do to people it affects.

            Also, with all due respect, a doctor asks the injured party how much it hurts not the person who hit them.

          6. @hazelsouthwell, you’re just making this up as you go along!

            Yes, I likened the way you suppress other people’s opinions by quietly reporting comments that you disagree with to the way selected governments suppress LGBTQ+ people via legislation…but I never said it was ‘as bad’.

            Also, a doctor does indeed ask an injured party about their wounds and that’s then presented to an independent judicial service to attempt to quantify whether any laws were transgressed, any injuries sustained and what punishment fits the crime. The doctor’s word isn’t taken as gospel!

      2. Hello Hazel,
        I guess my comment was deleted, but I really don’t see where have I expressed homophobia or debated on whether someone have the right to live or not:)
        And as you mention its a racing web site, I was actually discussing the driver’s(Hamilton’s) opinion. That this opinion is comming precisely in regards of the subject, but not about other things that are being banned in children education…
        So really don’t see which reason you had to remove my comment:)

        1. If you want to suggest that laws like Section 28 were not homophobic or oppressive, consider asking an LGBTQ+ person first.

          You were absolutely being needlessly provocative, which means it goes against the guidelines since it’s very obvious to see why LGBTQ+ teaching being banned from schools is a targeted and negative law.

          1. LGBT people in my country wishes our laws were as lenient as Hungary’s. So I find the bubble Western Europeans live to be interesting.

            We jail them over here and there is no public support for overturning it anytime soon.

          2. @Yaru I am not from Western Europe. In my country you’re likely to be murdered for being gay.

  21. I think Lewis is doing a great job highlighting and calling out these issues when it comes to visiting the countries involved. I hope he does the same with Saudi Arabia. But then of course there are other countries with very suspect attitudes to LGBTQI and discrimination/law and order issues.

    I wonder what is going to happen to F1 when he is gone from it. Who else is going to do this and keep the pressure up on F1 and those who run it?

    For the record I say consider taking the Hungarian race away if there are other countries looking to join. I also think it is awful that F1 even considered the idea of a race in Saudi.

  22. Agreed – F1 shouldn’t be going to Saudi and should think twice about going back to Hungary.

    I’m not a big Hamilton or Mercedes fan – but I have so much admiration for him taking a stand on things like this. Well done Vettel too for his comments re the Munich game.

    I don’t understand how the F1 organisation can make the statement they make before the race about “WeRaceAsOne” if they support these regimes.

    1. F1 clearly doesn’t care if the countries where they race are murdering their own citizens or jailing people for their identity. If F1 did make a change they would no longer hold races in Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Bahrain, and maybe at times even the United States. It would be difficult to count to 23 races without these so don’t expect a change.
      I do hope the drivers speak out more frequently about the situations in these countries and that fans boycott the races in favor of events in places where the governments do not persecute their citizens as a means of control.

      I know I’m always on this topic on these forums and it annoys some of you who don’t see this as important, but it is critical to how F1 is perceived by the world and affects the future of the sport.

  23. I remember we discussed things like “oh, we’ll see whether they (or he, referring to Lewis specifically) will say anything once we get to a country like Russia, Hungary, etc” a couple of months ago, people using their whataboutism.

    Well, now Lewis put his mouth where his heart is in the middle east last year (even talked with officials about human rights) and now he makes clear that he means it in Hungary. Good to see the Racing pride getting solid support from the F1 community as well as Vettel being very clear on the issue.

    As Hazel, and several others above mention, it is very good to see people who get heard like Hamilton is to speak up and support a positive outlook on people and their right to be whoever they are and love.

  24. Three, two, one…Let’s see how much damage will be dealt on this battlefield.

  25. Jockey Ewing
    30th July 2021, 0:04

    Imo this is pure politics by Fidesz. Divide and conquer. An idea almost as old as the wheel.
    It is easy to divide with various discriminative iideas at a society what is at about 100% white, Christian and Hungarian by nationality, so a quite closed one.
    Here the democracy is much younger than it is at many places of the world. It is easy to use it’s undevelopedness, and it is easy to play tricks which are well known at more developed parts of the world, like gerrymandering, and similar bad things.
    For worse, our language education is quite weak, even when compared to our neighbours, so the general population will not read and learn about politics and history in foreign languages, to draw consequences in the close future.

    Imo Orbán is a quite talented politician, but he is a much worse leader. Probably they just got lucky to get into the position at they are currently. They were lucky to be young and rightist at the Soviet Unions’s falling apart, and probably recognised that the press and political tricks are important for them sooner than their opposition, and here is the result.
    Sadly they use their power to behave like this, and they do many similar things fairly regularly. I do not believe in them at all.
    And I think people who are practicing similar politics, are often not believing their own words, because that is not a requirement, politics can be effective without that.

    At the below link, there is a “funny” (or more likely 100% cringe) video, about Bernie Ecclestone being guided and introduced to our Holy Crown, by Pál Schmitt. Pál Schmitt is a fairly well known former fencer and sports person, former President of Hungary, and is obviously linked to Fidesz. He had to resign from being President of Hungary because he plagiarised 17 pages while he wrote his doctoral dissertation. He had to toss all his national pride, of which the likes of him are very proud of, when Ecclestone made a “Made in China?” remark. He awkwardly laughed with him, because at that meeting Schmitt was the little man, and gave in in the presence of money. Imo that is what they are made of, he had no skills to politely handle the situation, despite of the crown is part of our national pride and considered to be holy and sacred by us.
    So laugh with me:
    https://loopr.indavideo.hu/video/pali_in_da_house

    Actually there is an old RaceFans article about this as well:
    https://www.racefans.net/2010/08/07/ecclestone-asks-hungarian-president-was-your-crown-made-in-china/

    Imo while fighting for the BLM efforts, this approach, so raising words against other kinds of discrimination is the proper, clever and functional way, so thanks for that Sir Lewis!

    1. That 1989 speech comes to mind.

  26. Is it too much to ask these drivers who care for these causes be consistent in their stance and have those same words when they reach Saudi Arabia, you know a place where women cant walk outside without a male guardian.

    1. @illusive Firstly, that isn’t true – while the guardianship scheme is absolutely aberrant and restrictive, women most certainly can walk around outside without a male guardian. (citation: I am a woman who has walked around Riyadh with plenty of Saudi women)

      Secondly: I imagine we’ll see when we get there but it’s a bit much to ask them to do something four months into the future currently.

  27. Jockey Ewing
    30th July 2021, 13:45

    Imo Fidesz came up with the idea of this new law because according to most polls they are at about on par with the united opposition about one year before the elections. The opposition is made of many parties, at about all significant parties joined it, even the rightist “Jobbik” (mirror translation: “Better”). Therefore they knew this is a good effort, to make a crack on the unity, as Jobbik, and some of their followers will welcome this idea more than centrists and leftists.

    The questions to vote about at referendum are quite leading questions. The problem of child protection is sympathetic to basically anyone, and could be improved in many ways, most of which are much more healthy to a society. They are often using leading questions for self-justification in public. One of the best examples of this are the “National Consultation” letters. They send it to everyone who is eligible to elect, and these consisting heavily leading questions, which are at about impossible to answer in a way which is not good for them. Then they use it as part of their propaganda. They did National Consultations at about 10 times now. A lot of color printed papers, carried by underpaid postmans (monthly salary in the range of 400$ maybe – if they are employed with a daily 8 hours contract, which is not common, considering the poor labor laws and their poor enforcement here), the costs of which are burdened on everyone, and some of the income of the printing and logistics is likely landing in their pockets. Toxic to the environment and to the society as well, and not futureproof at all.

    I think the referend is also a way for them to measure their level of support amongst the electors, as it is so much leading, that it will be a sympathy vote. There is no need for such laws at a properly working law and law enforcement system. They should work on the system instead. The questions are so leading, that not participating is much better than voting against their will. Therefore I hope that voters will show them, that they are not interested in Fidesz’s new contrived silliness.

    The country is full of propaganda and division, and imo Orbán is a shell of the young man who held the aforementioned 1989 speech. The everyday cloakturning based on the situation and convenience slowly inverted him. Some of their favourite practices:
    – Happily calling any opposition a communist (or something else), if doing so is convenient at the given moment, while going for building a strong relationship with countries of the Eastern Bloc
    – Take posession of the Christian and Hungarian identity, pretending themselves and their followers a better Hungarian of Christian than the opposition. Meanwhile the patient liberals, or Christian atheists are likely better Christians than the loudmouths who are taken to the streets, as it is easy and fairly cheap to do so. It works as we have a very masculine (seeming) society, where showing weakness, or showing signs of shame because of things (illness, being minority, having more EQ?) what are long accepted at many developed countries is considered to be a no no for a large part of the society. A few elections before they sported 30-40 centimeter large cockades as part of their campaign. Imo this distgusted many, and was a perfect way to the aformentioned pretending behavior.
    – Regular nasty answers to the opposition sided press, while building an ever strong government media. This is cascasing and their followers are often behaving in a similar way.

    If it would be part of a good cabaret, it could be occasionally funny, but it is persistent. This is only a cheap show for those who are buying it, a cost optimised effort to maintain their power position.

    Just a quite Machiavellian theoretical idea:
    No matter how or how much a society is divided or undivided. If you create a large enough crack or division, to divide or redivide it, then you will be supported by a large part of the society with a quite high probability.
    An other: it is more easy to earn your statue by creating division than by being peaceful and decent.

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