European court: LGBTI-inclusive fairy tales suitable for children

26/01/2023

European court: LGBTI-inclusive fairy tales suitable for childrenEuropean Court ruled that imposing a warning label on a children's book because it contains LGBTI-inclusive fairy tales is unjustifiable

by Mambaonline.com

26-01-2023 10:08

in LGBTQIA+

LGBTI-inclusive fairy tales suitable for children, rules European court. Photo: Pexels

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that imposing a warning label on a children's book because it contains LGBTI-inclusive fairy tales is unjustifiable and violates the right to freedom of expression.

--

The book in question, Gintarin irdis (Amber Heart), by the late lesbian writer, Neringa Dangvyde Macate, was published in 2013 by the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences with financial support from the Ministry of Culture.

The children's book Gintarin irdis (Amber Heart) includes two LGBTI-inclusive fairy tales. Photo: Mambaonline It includes versions of six traditional fairytales aimed at nine to 10-year-olds adapted to include characters from different ethnic groups or with intellectual disabilities.

The book addresses issues such as stigmatisation, bullying, divorced families and emigration and two of the six fairy tales have storylines about relationships and marriages between persons of the same sex.

--

ALSO READ: The history of the word queer': reviled, reclaimed and respected

After it was published, complaints were submitted to the university and the Ministry of Culture that the book sought to instill in children the idea that marriage between persons of the same sex was a welcome phenomenon and was encouraging perversions .

The ministry referred the matter to the Inspectorate of Journalistic Ethics. It found the book in violation of the country's Protection of Minors from Negative Effects of Public Information , which states that information that expresses contempt for family values or encourages a different concept of marriage and creation of family has a negative effect on minors.

The inspectorate recommended that the book be labelled with a warning that it might be harmful to children under 14 years of age.

--

The university recalled the book from distribution and republished it a year later with the suggested warning label.

European court agreed that the author promoted diversity and equality The Lithuanian courts agreed that the book could cause harm to children because of the LGBTI-inclusive fairy tales.

In 2019, the author, who passed away in 2020, took the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

This case also sends another important message, which is that all families are equal

On Tuesday, the court ruled that the university's actions interfered with the author's freedom of expression and unjustifiably sought to limit children's access to information that depicted same-sex relationships as equivalent to different-sex relationships.

It rejected assertions that certain passages in the book about a princess and a shoemaker's daughter sleeping in one another's arms after their wedding were sexually explicit.

The judges were also not convinced by the Lithuanian government's argument that the book had promoted same-sex families over others.

To the contrary, the fairy tales had advocated respect for and acceptance of all members of society in a fundamental aspect of their lives, namely a committed relationship, said the court.

The court, therefore, concluded that the measures taken against the book had not pursued any aims that it could accept as legitimate

The ruling was welcomed by ILGA-Europe's Head of Litigation, Arpi Avetisyan, who commented: The court's message is clear: Protection of children cannot be used as an excuse for censoring information about LGBTI rights, both on the part of the authors for promoting diversity and equality, and for children to learn about acceptance of all members of the society on an equal footing.

Avetisyan added that This case also sends another important message, which is that all families are equal. In the court's own words: Promoting one type of family at the expense of another is never acceptable under the [European] Convention.

The court ordered Lithuania to pay 17,000 Euros to the author's mother to cover damages and litigation costs.

Article by Roberto Igual

This article was initially published on MAMBAonlie.com

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY Mambaonline.com

How much of a rugby fanatic are you? FIVE easy answers could win you a signed jersey! ENTER HERE

LINK:	https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/lgbtqia/european-court-lgbti-i...
	See more stories from thesouthafrican

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026