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The amendment was put forward by councillor Steve Christou. (Representative pic)
A Sydney council has voted to ban same-sex parenting books from local libraries, sparking discrimination and censorship concerns. According to The Guardian, at a meeting last week, the Cumberland City Council in western Sydney voted on a new plan for its eight libraries. The amendment, put forward by the former mayor and current councillor Steve Christou, proposed that the council take immediate action to remove same-sex parenting books and materials from its library services. He cited public complaints about the book to push for their removal.
During the meeting, Mr Christou displayed a book titled ‘Same-Sex Parents’ by Holly Duhig and claimed that it had distressed parents due to its placement in the children’s section of the library. “We’re going to make it clear tonight that … these kind of books, same-sex parents books, don’t find their way to our kids,” he said,” as per The Guardian.
“Our kids shouldn’t be sexualised.. This community is a very religious community, a very family-orientated community. They don’t want such controversial issues going against their beliefs indoctrinated to their libraries. This is not Marrickville or Newtown, this is Cumberland city council,” Mr Christou continued.
The former mayor added that toddlers shouldn’t be “exposed” to same-sex content and that the proposed amendment was “for the protection and safety of our children”.”Hands off our kids,” he repeated.
The council’s decision to ban same-sex parenting books has prompted discussions about representing diverse families in library collections. The New South Wales government has warned that the move could be a breach of the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act. Cumberland mayor Lisa Lake said she was “appalled” and “saddened” by the move. She noted that the content of the book, as with others in the series, was “age appropriate” and did not include any sexual content.
“I think it’s a serious issue about censorship,” she said, as per The Independent. “It’s important that information is available to anyone who wants to look at that information,” she added.
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Auburn MP Lynda Voltz has asked the NSW arts minister, John Graham, to look at the matter. “I am greatly concerned at the decision of Cumberland council and believe that it may possibly risk breaching the guidelines for funding of libraries and may also be in breach of the Anti-Discrimination Act,” she said, as per The Guardian.
“The overwhelming majority of the people in Auburn will tell you that everyone is welcome and we pride ourselves on being a peaceful and friendly community,” she added.
Separately, speaking on the matter, John Graham emphasised that it should be up to readers to choose which books they pick from the shelves. “When civilisations turn to book burning books or banning books it is a very bad sign. That is equally true for local councils,” he said.
“We are examining the consequences this decision may have for the council continuing to receive library funding from the NSW government,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Christou clarified that the move was not targeted at the LGBTQ+ community but towards any books that promoted “sexualising”.
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