Hungary has withdrawn from the Eurovision Song Contest amid speculation the decision was made because the country's far-right government and media bosses deem the competition "too gay".

While Hungary's government has given no official reason, the move comes as anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric increases in the country with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán launching a "family first" policy to encourage traditional families to boost birth rates.

Homophobic rhetoric has been increasing within Mr Orbán's inner circle including when an MP from his Fidesz party called for a boycott of Coca-Cola after it aired an advert featuring a gay couple.

Earlier this year, László Kövér, the speaker of the Hungarian parliament, compared proponents of equal marriage and adoption to paedophiles.

© Provided by Evening Standard Conchita Wurst of Austria performs on stage during the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 (Getty Images)

“Morally, there is no difference between the behaviour of a paedophile and the behaviour of someone who demands such things,” he said.

On Eurovision, András Bencsik, the editor of a pro-government magazine, said: "I welcome the decision, including from a mental health perspective, that Hungary will not take part in the homosexual flotilla that this international song competition has been reduced to.

“Many young people thought that this is something for people under 18, but at this event the destruction of public taste takes place with screaming transvestites and bearded women."

The assumption among employees at the public broadcaster MTVA, which is closely linked to the government, is that Eurovision is too associated LGBTQ+ culture, a source told the Guardian.

"I was not surprised. It comes from the organisational culture of MTVA,” the source inside the broadcaster told the publication.

They added that positive coverage of LGBTQ+ rights was discouraged apart from broadcasting Budapest Pride.

MTVA said in a statement: “We want to make clear that we do not take the sexual orientation of anyone in any production or event into consideration."

It then attacked media reports on the situation so far.

Meanwhile Hungarian website index.hu quoted unnamed sources inside public media also suggesting the reason for the move was that Eurovision is “too gay”.

Mr Orbán’s spokesman, Zoltán Kovács, described the index.hu story as “fake news” on Twitter.

"Instead of taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020, we will support the valuable productions created by the talents of Hungarian pop music directly,” MTVA has said in an earlier statement to several publications.