Viktor Orban, prime minister of Hungary, has condemned an LGBTQ+ inclusive fairy tale book, saying the queer community need to “leave our children alone.” The controversial anti-LGBTQ+ leader, who has ruled since 2010, has joined those criticising A Fairy Tale for Everyone, which reimagines traditional fairy tales with characters from diverse backgrounds. Although the majority of stories do not explicitly mention LGBTQ+ equality, it has been the focus of conservative politicians in the country.
According to Time Magazine, the deputy leader of Hungary’s far-right Mi Hazank party previously referred to it as ‘homosexual propaganda’, and Orban then followed, saying: “Hungary is a patient, tolerant country as regards [to] homosexuality. But there is a red line that cannot be crossed, and this is how I would sum up my opinion: Leave our children alone.” Conservative campaign group CitizenGO has amassed around 85,000 signatures on a petition demanding the book be removed from shelves.
Orban’s administration has made numerous attacks on the LGBTQ+ community in the last decade, such as the introduction of Article 33 earlier this year which ended legal recognition of Hungary’s trans community. He has also defined marriage as “the union of a man and a woman” and argued heteronormative families are essential for the ‘survival of the nation’.
Meseorszag mindenkie, or A Fairy Tale for Everyone, is an anthology of retellings of traditional fairy tales, updated with more diverse, inclusive and LGBTQ characters in contemporary settings. Among the new protagonists are a Roma Cinderella, a lesbian Snow Queen, and a gender non-conforming deer. “Our aim was to make children’s literature more diverse in Hungary and show children how colorful and wonderful life is,” says Nagy, the book’s editor.
