The MTV EMA’s have shown solidarity with the LGBTQ community whilst holding their award show in Budapest. The show was opened by Ed Sheeran who won best artist. American rapper, while giving him the award, expressed the need to show “respect for the LGBTQ community”.

BTS picked up four awards including best pop and best group.

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A high spot of the evening was the “Generation Change Award”, a new category honouring five activists fighting against anti-LGBTQ policies worldwide. Actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore honoured the winners through a video message, saying they are doing “incredible things for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Statements of support and performances by queer artists made the night in Hungary, whose right-wing government has attracted criticism for its anti-LGBT policies, a defiant celebration, reports Euronews.

Big wins came for queer artists Lil Nas X who won best video for “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name), as well as Eurovision winners Maneskin who took home the prize for best rock act.

German artist Kim Petras made history last night by being the first transgender musician to perform at the EMAs. She said that she hoped would inspire the local LGBTQ community to “not give up on themselves.”

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 “censorship of any kind of love sucks. It’s not good. No one should feel, you know, not represented in media. No one should feel like it’s not okay to be who they are,” she said on the red carpet.

Speaking ahead of the award show, Chris McCarthy, the president and CEO of MTV Entertainment Group Worldwide, talked about the opportunity of holding the EMAs in Hungary.

“We’re looking forward to using the event to amplify our voices and stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ siblings,” McCarthy said in an interview with The Associated Press, adding that no censorship of the telecast would be tolerated,” the CEO said.

Hungary’s government, led by Viktor Orbán came under heavy backlash when it passed a law forbidding the promotion or depiction of homosexuality to minors.

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Changes to the Hungarian constitution in 2020 altered the definition of families to exclude transgender and homosexual people. Although civil partnerships are recognised, gay marriage is banned in hungary which makes adoption for gay couples all but impossible as adoptive parents must be married.