Anti-gay law: Books are wrapped in transparent foil in Hungary

The LGBTQ-themed books that Libri recently removed from the shelves had to comply with the “Child Protection Law” (also commonly referred to as the anti-gay law). In the spring, the consumer protection authority fined several bookshop chains for offering publications covered by the law in “inappropriate” places. Now, a video emerged showing books being wrapped in transparent foil so that they cannot be read or looked into.

“While Waterstones bookshop in the UK is doing LGBTQ book highlights to celebrate Pride, Libri is wrapping these books in foil,” said Tibor Rácz-Stefán, an author who himself has homosexual characters in his books. He also made a video in the Libri bookstore showing how the transparent film makes it impossible to read these publications, even though their covers and backs are visible, Index writes.

The Mathias Corvinus Collegium (a government-close company) has recently acquired a stake in Libri. The takeover has provoked strong reactions from some sections of the literary community. Writer Dénes Krusovszky said that the change of ownership would have unforeseeable consequences. We wrote abou this in detail HERE. This means that the largest part of the book market will no longer be controlled by the market, but by the state.

The company, which owns half of the book market, justified the wrapping to Telex by claiming that it had to comply with the Child Protection Act.

In May, the consumer protection authority fined both Libri and Líra bookshops for selling a book in the youth section, which the authority said should not have been there, in line with the provisions of the Child Protection Act. This is why Dóra Papp’s books were also excluded from the youth offer. The author noted in the context of the experience:

You see, the book arrives from the printer in foil, then the bookshop orders it from the publisher, then repackages it one by one! It’s called censorship… Go to Pride on 15 July and support those who are constantly being stepped on – now that includes Hungarian authors.

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9 Comments

Anonymous says:

07/07/2023 at 16:27

Glad it happens!
Zoli says:

07/07/2023 at 19:56

Leviticus 11:7 – the pig is unclean. Apparently all of us Hungarians sin practically every day. Maybe we should wrap pork products in brown paper at the butcher so as not to corrupt our youth. And sentence adults that provide pork to children to jail time.
mariavontheresa says:

07/07/2023 at 20:15

Governor DeSantis of Florida enacted a law banning gender studies from kindergarten to grade 3 inclusive. The left, including the Disney company called this legislation anti-gay, although the word gay does not appear in the law. Later the law was extended. The left went into overdrive disparaging the governor, going so far as to say that books are banned in Florida. Governor DeSantis’ reply was that the books are available in bookstores, therefore, the left just circulate lies. President Biden held a ceremony at the White House in honor of pride month, the participants took off the tops, showing bare breast created by hormones or surgery. Pride parades featured naked males some yelling we are going after your children. President Biden and many others said that the LGBT community members are the most persecuted. This is also a falsehood. There have not been any examples of that so called persecution. This is true in Hungary as well.

Now that LGBT members during the Pride parade finally voiced their aim going after children, it is paramount that the Hungarian government as well as the Florida government protect all children.
"Bless the beast and the Children." says:

08/07/2023 at 07:34

Catholicism – DeSantis being of the Catholic Faith, and Hungary, which 43% of its population baptized into the Holy Roman Catholic Church – still interpreted and judged WRONGFULLY – has massive problems with the LGBT movement.
KC says:

08/07/2023 at 07:41

Why should books not be wrapped in foil? As a book lover, I can not stand bookshops selling books for high prices which people already read.

Those interested in certain subjects can buy online.

Btw LGBT. has nothing to do with gay, and neither has the gay parade. A parade even the average gay person can not stand.

If you want to be accepted as normal act normal.

We do not see books where heterosexuals are shown in the same way. There are no hetero parades, no parks where heteros can have sex in public.

Wake up, stop the nonsense and visit a doctor if you feel discriminated against 24/7. It is unhealthy to feel that way, it will not only damage your health but it is a proof of low self-esteem and serious mental issues. If you are happy with who and what you are you would show the peace of mind, and spread love instead of hate and extravagant behaviour gays feel ashamed about.

Dear writer, if your book isn’t sold you might not be such a good writer? Or is this article a way to make your book wrapped in foil a bestseller?
"Love one another, as I have LOVED You." says:

08/07/2023 at 15:08

KC – Concur.
“Love one another as I have LOVED You.”
Not a fanatical religious “sicko” but THINK this commandment – people of all race and colour – should EMBRACE.
Normalist says:

08/07/2023 at 15:52

GOOD!
Anonymous says:

10/07/2023 at 22:56

Books shouldn’t be banned or censored no matter what. I’m all for free speech and democracy, but when conservatives claim that their right to freedom is infringed just because queer people exist and make LGBT content is plainly absurd. Then they are the ones that censor and use legislation to take the minority’s rights and freedom away.
The anti-LGBTQ movement has no rationality. Lying what happens in reality, lying about medical treatments, lying about data and studies, exaggerating tiny problems, calling for violence and hate speech… literally the same happened with Jewish people, black people, atheists, muslims and many other minorities. And stop with the “protecting the children” bullshit, it only harms them more. Denying the existence of queer children is like denying the existence of Jewish or black children.
And stop praising DeSantis in the comments so much. He promised censoring only from K to 3rd grade, but it was changed from K to college. He promised only banning gender affirming care to minors, but now it’s everyone including adults who pay from their own pocket. He allowed doctors to discriminate patients just because of their beliefs. Like imagine if a Muslim extremist doctor decided to refuse you an important life saving surgery just because you refused to convert to his religion. DeSantis is not a good person.
Fábian says:

18/07/2023 at 16:08

“Bless the beast and the Children.”
You made very clear that you never read the Bibble, or even have holded one in hands, if in a remote possibility, did it, you have interpretated by the way you want for most.
Deliberately misundertanding the Bibble, and giving wrong ideas of the teachings of Jesus Christ, based on isolated sentences, out of the context, its nothing new.
Jesus taught everyone to love one another as he loved, but he never consented to the sin.
He taught to love anyone, even the sinner, but not the sin.
Everybody will respond before God, and God will judge, and the sinner that have the sin without regret, will account before God.
People, as i said, deliberately (and purpously), misinterpretates the Bibble, in order to justify whatever they want.
Anonymous
Nobody is denying nothing, protect children is necessary, because if you don’t know, children don’t have the same conscious as adults have, or should have.
Children believe in everything that is said to them, they dont have parameters, and so, they need their parents, their families.
You are deliberatelly confunding a sexual option with race and ethnincs differences, and worst of all, how a children could be “queer”, is he or she aren’t fully developed, still in formation.
You are just trying to justify the injustificable, when children become adults, they do what they want, but while still being children, they need protection, they need their parents, their famillies, anything else is horrendous, abominable.
If some have problems with his/her sexuality, its a personal problem, nobody have nothing to do with, its not a problem of the society, even more of the children.
And, at the end, it’s all about politics, and to push sex to children, and desintegrate the families.