Hungary Fines Bookstore $36,000 Over LGBTQ Novel

ABC News reports:

A government office in Hungary on Thursday levied a hefty fine against a national bookseller over a LGBTQ+ graphic novel, saying it violated a contentious law that prohibits the depiction of homosexuality to minors.

The bookseller, Lira Konyv, is Hungary’s second-largest bookstore chain. It was fined 12 million forints ($35,930) for placing the popular “Heartstopper” by British author Alice Oseman in its youth literature section, and for failing to place it in closed packaging as required by a 2021 law.

The fine against Lira Konyv comes just two days before the Budapest Pride march, an annual event that draws thousands of LGBTQ+ people and their supporters in Hungary’s capital.

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#Hungarian authorities issued a 12 million (EUR 32 000) fine on a book publisher, based on the homophobic „child protection” law.

Reason: stores displayed Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper in the youth section, and the books – that “depict homosexuality+ were not in closed packaging. pic.twitter.com/S0N6Q8JV8r

— Viktória Serdült (@viktoriaserdult) July 13, 2023