The word “gay” has been replaced in a poem in a Hungarian Catholic textbook

According to the publisher, the text was cited in this form on the internet. However, a historian views the case as a major editorial error and, if intentional, a serious offence.

“Stay, for you must be protected
Who has nowhere to go,
Be poor, be homeless,
Jewish, gay, Roma”

This is an original passage from Ágnes Kiss Judit’s poem The Word. However, in the Catholic Pedagogical Institute’s literature textbook for 10th graders, the word “gay” has been replaced with “Hungarian”, Népszava has noticed.

The poet herself only learned from the newspaper that her otherwise widely known poem dissecting the dilemmas of emigration had been rewritten.

Judit Ágnes Kiss also had her story included in the controversial children’s book Fairyland for Everyone. Kiss claimed she was not informed that her poem would appear in the textbook, which act would otherwise require the author’s consent, who is also entitled to royalties.

She added that she would not have allowed the poem to be altered and will contact the publisher. The publisher defends itself by saying that no complaints were received and besides, contemporary poems are available in several versions on the internet.

According to writer and literary historian Krisztián Nyári, copyright protects the intrinsic essence of the work. According to Nyári, what happened is an embarrassing editorial omission, and if it is intentional, it is a serious offence, rtl.hu writes.

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