Hungary's Crackdown on LGBTQ+ Literature: Bookstore Fined for Selling 'Heartstopper' Novel

Hungary's second-largest bookstore chain, Lira Konyv, has been fined 12 million forints ($35,930) by a government office for placing the LGBTQ graphic novel "Heartstopper" in its youth literature section without closed packaging, violating a law that prohibits the depiction of homosexuality to minors. The fine is based on Hungary's controversial 2021 "child protection" law, which has been criticized as an attempt to stigmatize LGBTQ people. The European Union has backed legal action against the law, and the fine comes just before the Budapest Pride march.