Czech President Milos Zeman called transgender people “disgusting” in an interview on CNN affiliate CNN Prima News, during a discussion of a controversial new law in Hungary.

The Hungarian law bans all educational materials and programs for children that are considered to promote homosexuality, gender reassignment and the concept of sexuality deviating from the one assigned to a person at birth. It has been met with fierce criticism from other members of the European Union.

Zeman said interference in internal affairs of any EU member country is a gross political mistake, and he defended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “I do not see a reason not to agree with him. I can understand gays, lesbians and so on. But do you know who I do not understand at all? These transgender people”, - he said.

Zeman described transgender people as “intrinsically disgusting to me”.