Far-Right Hungarian PM Attacks LGBTQs Over Gay Fairytale Book

With the release of a book featuring LGBTQ characters, far-right Hungarian prime minister Vikto Orban has warned gay people "leave our children alone," Euro News reports.

The collection "Storyland is for Everyone" re-imagines classic fairytales with the inclusion of characters from varied and diverse backgrounds, some of which – though not all – are LGBTQ characters. Orban follows in the footsteps of other anti-LGBTQ organizations who have seized the opportunity to not only criticize the book but also demand its removal from book shops.

In one particular melodramatic moment, D�ra D�r�, of the far-right movement Our Homeland, tore up the book and fed the pages into a shredder at a press conference. The Hungarian Publishers and Booksellers' Association has equated such incidents with Nazi book-burning and Communist book destruction, Hungary Today reports.

The book's publisher, Labrisz Lesbian Association, has said that the backlash has had a contrary effect – selling out the first run of the book, a second edition is now in the works. A children's book shop, Pagony, explains that because "we believe that all people are equal and everyone deserves equal treatment," they will continue selling the book. Ultimately, Pagony places responsibility – and freedom – in the hands of their customers in determining what they and their children would like to read.