Dorottya Rédai

Dorottya Rédai
Born
Hungary
Occupations
  • Academic
  • LGBTQ+ activist
OrganizationExecutive Director of Labrisz Lesbian Association
AwardsGO Women We Love 2023, Time 100 2021

Dorottya Rédai is a Hungarian academic and LGBTQ+ activist who currently serves as the executive director of the Labrisz Lesbian Association. She has been described as a "leading figure in Hungarian human rights activism" and "a symbol of courage". She became internationally known for leading the project which created A Fairytale for Everyone, and was named to the Time 100 in 2021 for this effort.

Biography

She first became interested in gender studies after observing how her brother received more privileges than her, and this crystallized during her final year of college when she took a gender studies course.[1] She earned a MA in English and English Literature from the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), a MA in Gender Studies from the Central European University (CEU), and a PhD in Comparative Gender Studies from CEU, where she graduated in 2015.[2] Her dissertation on sexuality in schools was later published in 2019 by Palgrave Macmillan.[3] She has taught courses on gender and education at CEU and ELTE, and has also worked as a tutor and a researcher.[2] However, her field, gender studies, was banned in Hungary in 2018.[1]

She is best known for her work with the Labrisz Lesbian Association. She began working to support its school outreach program, Getting to Know LGBT People, in 2004, not long after coming out herself. They had published six other books, including biographies, a LGBTQI handbook for teachers, and a novelization of Labrisz's documentary Secret Years.[4]

Her focus became coming up with tools to help inform younger children about these issues in an appropriate way.[5] This became the project A Fairytale for Everyone, which involved retelling traditional fairytales in a diverse way,[6] which she spearheaded and which was published in 2020. The book was subsequently published in at least 8 other languages and sold more than 30,000 copies,[7] despite receiving criticisms from individuals including a political party leader, Dóra Dúró and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.[8] The book has continued being sold even after the ban of Getting to Know LGBT People.[5] She has stated that the book has resulted in stronger homophobia than before, but also in stronger support for LGBT people than before from those who'd not spoken out.[9]

She has been dubbed a "symbol of courage" and a "leading figure in Hungarian human rights activism". She has discussed the transition from being a private figure to speaking to journalists multiple times per week.[1]

She also participated in Budapest Pride, headed by Viktória Radványi, in 2021, despite a government ban on the pride parade.[10] In 2022, she called for voting against Orban,[11] a regime she has dubbed "authoritarian and post-fascist",[12] and against government initiatives she stated were homophobic.[4] In 2024, she called for more collaboration between activists and academics.[13] That same year, she published a chapter analyzing far-right populism and anti-gender movements on homophobia and transphobia.[14]

She left academia, and a few years later became the Executive Director of Labrisz.[15]

She was awarded the Emma Goldman Snowball Award in 2020.[7] She was named to the Time 100 in 2021 for her leadership in A Fairytale For Everyone: her profile was written by MEP Terry Reintke.[16] She was named to GO's Women We Love in 2023.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Veitová, Kristýna (2022-10-25). "Dorottya Rédai: My activism and my academic work support each other". Universitas, magazín vysokých škol. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  2. 1 2 "Dorottya Rédai | Center for Policy Studies". Central European University. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  3. ↑ Rédai, Dorottya (2019). "Exploring Sexuality in Schools". Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-20161-6. ISSN 2524-6445.
  4. 1 2 "Dorottya Redai — A Fairy Tale for Everyone, Hungary". Alturi. 2022-01-20. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  5. 1 2 3 Staff, G. O. (2023-06-12). "Dorottya Redai - GO Magazine". Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  6. ↑ On, Keen (2021-10-15). "Dorottya Rédai on the Importance of LGBTQ Fairy Tales". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  7. 1 2 Dániel, Waliduda (2021-09-15). "A TIME a világ legbefolyásosabb emberei közé választotta a Meseország Mindenkié egyik megálmodóját". Humen Online (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  8. ↑ Today, Hungary (2021-09-16). "'A Fairy Tale for Everyone' Project Coordinator Among Time's Top 100 Most Influentials". Hungary Today. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  9. ↑ "When a right-winger in Hungary ripped up a book of inclusive fairy tales, she sent it straight up the bestsellers list | Xtra Magazine". 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  10. ↑ "Catalans among 200,000 to defy Hungarian PM in massive Pride march in Budapest". www.catalannews.com. 2025-06-28. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  11. ↑ Rédai, Dorottya (2022-03-31). "Opinion: How children became a tool in Orban's anti-LGBTQ propaganda | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  12. ↑ "Dorottya Redai: Lesbian Resistance Through Fairytales. The Story of a Children's Book Clashing With an Authoritarian Anti-Gender Regime in Hungary | CEU Democracy Institute". democracyinstitute.ceu.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  13. ↑ Redai, Dorottya (2024-09-12). "In a time of global anti-gender politics, research and activism also needs to be transnational - LSE Impact". LSE Impact - Understanding impact and practice in academic research. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  14. ↑ Rédai, Dorottya (2024), "'Leave our Kids Alone.' Child Protection, Sex Education, LGBT+ Rights and Anti-Gender Politics in Hungary", in Holvikivi, Aiko; Holzberg, Billy; Ojeda, Tomás (eds.), Transnational Anti-Gender Politics: Feminist Solidarity in Times of Global Attacks, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 141–160, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-54223-7_7, ISBN 978-3-031-54223-7, retrieved 2026-07-15
  15. ↑ EDITOR (2025-04-25). "Meet Dorottya Rédai: the Hungarian scholar tackling anti-LGBTQIA laws". Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  16. ↑ "Dorottya Redai: The 100 Most Influential People of 2021". TIME. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
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