Recently, an exhibit in Hungary has been deemed unsuitable for minors due to the inclusion of a series of images that depict LGBTQ+ individuals.
This year’s World Press Photo exhibit held in Budapest was visited by photojournalist Hannah Reyes Morales, who shared five photos in the exhibit. These photos show a community of elderly LGBTQ+ refugees from the Philippines who have grown old together with their found families. Some of the photos show some of the refugees in drag, which is why right-wing lawmaker Dora Duro complained, resulting in the exhibit being banned for anyone under 18, even with the consent of a guardian.
Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws purport to be for the safety and consideration of children, but the demonization of queer and trans people often leads to LGBTQ+ children being ashamed of themselves, harassed, and discriminated against as they grow up. Beyond the repercussions of treating being LGBTQ+ as an abnormality, there are also repercussions for not showing minors that history is worth learning.
It’s evident in our recent world politics: Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat the faults of their ancestors. Even though the exhibit simply displays images of the past, every single one of them has a story and a reason for being captured and immortalized.
Saying that images of people in drag are harmful to children is frankly disrespectful. This belief that so many right-wing and conservative lawmakers have that children are feeble-minded is ridiculous. Children are easily influenced, but being LGBTQ+ is not a choice. It’s far easier to teach children to be good people than to teach them that history isn’t for them.
As Reyes Morales put it, “What is harmful is limiting visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community and their right to exist and to be seen. I am beyond saddened that their story might not reach people who need it most, saddened that their story is being kept in a shadow.”
