Hello Fellow Booklovers!
My name is Andi and I am one of the board members with Annie’s Foundation. I have a story to tell you which should serve as a cautionary tale regarding censorship.
I was born and raised in Hungary during the tail end of the Communist era in the 70s and 80s. We looked longingly at the Western World, envious of the freedoms enjoyed by our fellow humans just across the border in Austria and way across the Atlantic Ocean in the United States. We huddled around the radio at night to listen to Voice of America to get a glimpse of stories our government-run media would not share with us. The lucky ones obtained tourist visas to travel to countries where the most current pop, rock, and punk bands’ vinyls and cassette tapes were available, which were shared and copied among friends who otherwise would never have heard the songs of some of these bands.
At the same time, I was able to walk into my local library from a very young age and pick up any book I wanted to. Granted, our options were limited, but there was no age restriction or policing of what I checked out of the library. Likewise, I remember Christmas shopping with my older brother when I was in middle school, and routinely purchasing books for our parents and grandparents – all of whom were avid readers. No one ever asked us what business we had buying this book or the other.
Oh, how things have changed from the oppressive Communist era to now… Or did they???
Although I have lived in the United States for over 35 years now, I frequently go back to visit my family in Hungary. Yes, we can buy all the music under the sun. But what about access to books? That is what my story is about…
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In Hungary, books are being shrink-wrapped. Literally.
Since 2021, a so-called “child protection” law has made it illegal to display or sell books that include LGBTQ characters or themes to anyone under 18. Bookstores caught selling them unwrapped — or within 200 meters of a school — can be fined or even temporarily shut down.
What’s being “protected” here? Not children. Not truth. Just prejudice.
🇭🇺 A Law That Wraps Fear in Plastic
Under Hungary’s law, any book that “depicts or promotes homosexuality or gender transition” must be hidden from minors — even if the book is a gentle coming-of-age story like Heartstopper. Meanwhile, the age of consent in Hungary is 14.
Let that sink in:
Teens are legally old enough to have sex — but not old enough to read about two boys holding hands.
That’s not about protecting young people. It’s about policing who is allowed to exist in stories.
💸 Noncompliance Is Expensive!
Do you wonder how this is law enforced, and what happens in the case of non-compliance? The penalties can include steep fines, temporary suspension, and loss of employment.
In 2023, Budapest authorities fined Líra (one of the largest booksellers in the country) 12 million forints (~$36k) for displaying Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper in a youth section and not wrapping it as required.
A fine like this can put an independent seller out of business. Which would be a welcome consequence for any government that would rather its population remain ignorant.
In another stunning move, the chief of Hungary’s National Museum was ousted in 2023 because the museum didn’t set an age restriction for visitors viewing the World Press Photo exhibit. The images that led to the director’s demise were photos of Home for the Golden Gays by the photojournalist Hannah Reyes Morales, which follow the inhabitants of a community-run elderly care home for LGBTQ+ people in Manila, the Philippines. There was no explicit photo in the collection. Just images of elderly LGBTQ people living their best life. (photo credit: Hannah Reyes Morales
