The Hungarian government has ordered a publisher to print disclaimers identifying books containing “behaviour inconsistent with traditional gender roles.”
The order is in response to the publication of Meseorszag mindenkie (A Fairy Tale for Everyone) a fairytale anthology published by Labrisz, an association for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. The group says the storybook includes “elderly and Roma people, people living in poverty, adopted or abused children and heroic girls, as well as lesbian, gay, and trans characters.”
The Hungarian Consumer Protection Authority said that the book constitutes unlawful commercial practice since “the book is sold as a fairytale, called so on its cover and designed accordingly, but it hides the fact that it depicts behaviour inconsistent with traditional gender roles.” Labrisz noted that the storybook first caused controversy when Hungarian politician Dóra Dúró shredded a copy of the book in September, stating that the book constitutes “homosexual propaganda.”
Labrisz, supported by LGBTQI organization Háttér Society, plans to seek judicial review of the decision.