Citizenship award 2022: Dorottya Redai

Portrait of Dorottya Rédai, LGBT activist, during her speech at the P&V Foundation Citizenship Award ceremony in November 2022. The 18th P&V Foundation Citizenship Award is awarded to Hungarian LGBTQI+ rights activist Dorottya Rédai. The controversy surrounding the publication "Meseország mindenkié" (A Fairytale for Everyone) accelerated Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban's enactment of the law prohibiting the 'promotion of homosexuality to minors' in 2021.

Since this controversy, the book has been translated into several languages, including a French translation available from 20 October. The Citizenship Award will be presented on 16 November 2022 in Brussels.

A symbol of courage

Dorottya Rédai from Hungary received her PhD in Comparative Gender Studies at the Central European University (CEU). Based on her thesis, the book "Exploring Sexuality in Schools. The Intersectional Reproduction of Inequality" was published in 2019 by Palgrave Macmillan.

In addition to her academic activities, Dorottya Rédai is an active member of the lesbian rights NGO (Labrisz) where she works as a trainer in the school programme "Getting to know LGBT people". Her intersectional approach highlights the issue of gender and social inequalities.

Illustrated drawing of a couple of boys, hand in hand, one blond and the other dark skinned. Dorottya Rédai is the coordinator of the book project "Meseország mindenkié" (A Fairytale for Everyone) published in French by Talents Hauts under the name "Brune-Feuille, le prince se marie et autres contes inclusifs". The storybook features LGBTQI+ characters in new interpretations of traditional fairy tales. It shows the diversity of modern society. Gender, religion, origin, sexual preference, social class, skin colour. Respect is due to everyone.

The controversy surrounding the publication of this book accelerated Victor Orban's promulgation of the law prohibiting 'the promotion of homosexuality among minors'. The censorship of 'Meseország mindenkié' (A Fairytale for Everyone), which can only be sold in a package and on the adult section of bookshops, has clearly set the limits of the debate on freedom of expression in Hungary and elsewhere. Across Europe, the book, translated into several languages, echoed the LGBTQI+ struggle and the opponents of fundamental rights. Dorottya Rédai has turned research on gender and social inequality into a strong and courageous commitment as a social activist.

Fairytale for everyone

Illustrated drawing of a little girl with brown hair and dressed in a pink dress, emerging from a flower. This collection of fairy tales features a Roma Cinderella, a mixed-race Sleeping Beauty, a lesbian Snow Queen and non-gender deer... The book explores the place of sexuality in society and in school as a place of learning and socialisation. Based on scientific research, it questions the role of teachers and the preparation of students for issues of gender and ethnicity.

The book addresses themes as varied as gender, social and racial inequalities. The storybook is a plea against exclusion and an encouragement for everyone to be who they are.

For more diversity and inlusion

As a Foundation, we believe that diversity in today's society must be defined in all its forms: gender, religion, origin, sexual preference, social class, skin colour. In this sense, for Olivier Servais, Co-President of the Foundation, Professor of Anthropology and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at UCLouvain, "Dorottya Rédai is a great personality, who can help to better reach, understand and support people who are often fighting alone in their country for the respect of the rule of law and diversity. She is committed to an important issue with a high risk-taking in the Hungarian context. It is a unique opportunity to show our solidarity and to explain this struggle from the inside out". In addition to the issue of gender and LGTB rights, she also works on raising awareness among children and young people, an important theme for our Foundation.

Through her work, Dorottya Rédai underlined the importance of early socialisation in the development of democratic, tolerant and supportive attitudes, including the fight against prejudice.

(Download pdf laureate 2022)

pictures: copyright Lilla Bölecz