A staff member moves the British graphic novel “Heartstopper” from the children's book section to the adult book section at a bookstore in Budapest in July 2023. After authorities fined retailer Lira 12 million forints for selling the book to minors and without packaging. (Photo by Attila Kisbenedek/AFP)
- A Hungarian bookseller has been fined R630,000 for selling a book that “promoted” homosexuality without packaging.
- The case was successfully appealed on the basis that the law was missing a comma.
- This law is not enforced in practice and in some cases is impossible to enforce.
A Hungarian bookstore has avoided a fine for violating controversial LGBTQ laws because the law was missing a comma.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government passed a law in 2021 banning the “promotion” of homosexuality to minors, drawing criticism at home and abroad, including in Brussels.
For many months, the law was largely unenforced. But in July, bookstore chain Lila was fined 12 million forints (approximately R630,000) for selling the graphic novel Heartstoppers without plastic packaging.
Authorities have claimed that the teen romance about two high school boys by best-selling British author Alice Osman should have been packaged to prevent children from seeing it.
Mr. Lira filed the lawsuit, arguing that because of the missing comma, the law only requires sealed packaging for books that are “sold separately from other merchandise.”
A Budapest court canceled the fine on Thursday, according to media reports.
In a statement seen by AFP on Friday, the court said the relevant legislation “can only be interpreted in one direction according to Hungarian grammar rules.”
Lila's creative director Cristian Nyari welcomed the ruling, but warned of the potential for further legal problems.
“There are many other incomprehensible and even contradictory references in this bill. This issue remains unresolved and continues to be a difficult situation for the book industry and the book industry,” he told AFP. “I'm doing it,” he said.
Hungarian national museums are also facing difficulties implementing this law.
In November, the Minister of Culture fired the director of the Hungarian National Museum for “not complying” with government orders.
Under-18s were ordered to be prohibited from participating in the prestigious annual World Press Photo Exhibition, which showcases a series of photos of the Philippines' aging LGBTQ community.
But the museum said the order “cannot be legally enforced” because it cannot legally ask for identification.
Hungary is undergoing EU infringement proceedings against the law, which it says is aimed at “child protection” and which the European Commission says is in violation of the law.
