A Bookstore Got Fined For Selling Heartstopper

Netflix’s queer coming-of-age series Hearstopper may have been an instant hit in the U.S., but in Hungary, the government is leveling fines against a retailer for selling the beloved graphic novels the show is based on.

Hungarian authorities are fining a bookstore for selling Heartstopper books without the required closed wrapping which broke a controversial law against disseminating LGBTQ+ content to young people under the age of 18.

Heartstopper is a queer rom-com that follows teenagers Charlie and Nick as they navigate school and fall in love with each other. Alice Oseman created the Heartstopper webcomic and graphic novel that the popular Netflix show of the same name is based on.

Oseman was upset by this happening to her books and took to her Instagram Stories earlier this week to express her outrage over the homophobic law.

“Really sad and angry to hear about this happening,” she wrote under a screenshot of an article about the fine. “Queer young people deserve to see themselves in literature. Queerness is not inappropriate for kids.”

She continued, writing, “Sending love to everyone fighting this and supporting queer books.”

Screengrab via Instagram (@aliceoseman)

According to the BBC, the Lira Kiskereskedelmi Kft retailer was fined 12m forints ($36,041) for selling a Heartstopper book without wrapping it in plastic foil. This particular book was required to be wrapped because it contains depictions of homosexuality and is sold to minors.

"The probe stated that the books in question depict homosexuality and despite this, they were placed among literature aimed for minors," the government office said in a statement on state news agency MTI.

In 2021 Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban introduced the law banning the "display and promotion of homosexuality" to people under the age of 18, claiming he is defending the country’s Christian values and protecting children. The law has remained in effect despite complaints from human rights groups and the European Union.

Heartstopper Volume 5 is set to be released on Dec. 19 in the U.S. and the second season of the series will hit Netflix on Aug. 3.