The leaders of 16 EU member states, including France, Germany and Italy, on Thursday declared their support for defending the rights of LGBTQ people after a controversial law passed in Hungary. Without directly mentioning Hungary, a letter signed by the heads of state ahead of an EU summit deplored the "threats against fundamental rights, and in particular the principle of non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation", in a cloaked reference to the law, which bans LGBTQ educational content for children. arp/jv