Dorottya Rédai is a Hungarian scholar, activist, and education specialist who focuses on gender and sexuality. In 2019, she published “Fairyland is for Everyone,” a children’s book that aims to address social issues such as gender stereotypes and difficult topics like child neglect and poverty in a digestible way for children aged 6 to 12. The book features disabled children, Roma people, LGBT protagonists, and other minority groups as characters. However, its publication sparked a backlash in Hungary, with some politicians labeling it as “homosexual propaganda” and the government imposing restrictions on its sale.

Despite the opposition, the book became a bestseller, selling around 30,000 copies by January 2021 and being translated into ten languages. Rédai sees the book’s popularity as a sign of protest against the government and against sexism, homophobia, and exclusion in Hungary. The controversy highlights the ongoing struggles for gender and LGBT rights in the country, but Rédai’s work has helped to raise awareness and create an important conversation about these issues.

Dorottya’s portrait places her as a character in her own children’s book, “Fairyland is for Everyone”. The color palette, textures, and layering effects pay homage to the beautiful illustrations in the book, which emphasize diversity and address social issues in digestible ways for younger children.