A Sydney council has voted to ban same-sex parenting books from local libraries, raising concerns about discrimination and censorship. According to The guardLast week, Cumberland City Council in Sydney's west voted at a meeting on a new plan for its eight libraries. The amendment, introduced by former mayor and current councilor Steve Christou, proposed that the council take immediate action to remove books and materials on same-sex parenting from its library services. He cited public complaints about the book to push for its removal.
During the meeting, Mr. Christou showed a book with the title 'Same-sex parents' by Holly Duhig and claimed it had upset parents due to its placement in the children's section of the library. “We're going to make it clear tonight that these kinds of books, books for same-sex parents, are not going to find their way to our children,” he said. The guard.
“Our children should not be sexualized. This community is a very religious community, a very family-oriented community. They do not want such controversial issues that go against their beliefs to be indoctrinated into their libraries. This is not Marrickville or Newtown, this is Cumberland City Council,” Mr Christou continued.
The former mayor added that toddlers should not be “exposed” to same-sex content and that the proposed change was “for the protection and safety of our children.” “Hands off our children,” he repeated.
The council's decision to ban same-sex parenting books has sparked debate about the representation of diverse families in library collections. The New South Wales government has warned the move could be a breach of the state's Anti-Discrimination Act. Cumberland Mayor Lisa Lake said she was “shocked” and “saddened” by the measure. She noted that the book's content, like that of other books in the series, was “age appropriate” and did not contain sexual content.
“I think it's a serious issue in terms of censorship,” she said The independent. “It is important that information is available to anyone who wants to look at it,” she added.
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Auburn MP Lynda Voltz has asked NSW Arts Minister John Graham to look into the matter. “I am deeply concerned by the Cumberland City Council's decision and believe it may risk breaching library funding guidelines and also breach the Anti-Discrimination Act,” she said. The guard.
“The overwhelming majority of people in Auburn will tell you that everyone is welcome and that we are proud to be a peaceful and friendly community,” she added.
In addition, John Graham, speaking on this issue, emphasized that it should be up to readers to choose which books they take off the shelves. “If civilizations burn books or ban books, that's a very bad sign. That applies to local councils as well,” he said.
“We are examining the impact this decision may have on the council which continues to receive library funding from the NSW Government,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Christou clarified that the move was not aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, but at all books that promoted “sexualisation”.