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NSW council rejects concerns about ‘homophobic’ sex and sex education book ban

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NSW council rejects concerns about ‘homophobic’ sex and sex education book ban

Highlights
  • A council in NSW has discussed the idea of ​​a motion to address content containing “sexually explicit” material in libraries.
  • An LGBTIQ+ advocate expressed concern about the motion and said restricting access to books would be harmful.
  • The council said no book ban was proposed and a briefing would be given in December.
A council has rejected demands to ban sex education and LGBTIQ+ books after a motion was introduced proposing restrictions to prevent minors from accessing books containing “sexually explicit content”.
The books were named in the original motion to Port Macquarie Hastings Council in NSW by Yumi Stynes ​​and Dr Melissa Kang and Banned in conservative parts of the United States.
The redraft motion presented to the council was not specific to any title but focused on access restrictions and age-appropriate content.
Port Macquarie resident Abbie Jane, 15, said that as a young gay person growing up in a small town, representation in books and popular culture was invaluable, adding that the restrictions were homophobic, calling them “incredibly insensitive”.

But at the council meeting in mid-October, Libertarian councilman Mark Hornshaw claimed that “pedophiles use sex education books to prove to children that such sexual behavior is acceptable,” citing a 2010 report from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). .

‘One step back in history’

Jane believes these restrictions would be homophobic.
“When these meetings happen, when these discussions happen about how these books are inappropriate, it’s a step so far back in history,” he said.
“People still think homophobia doesn’t exist, but it does. It’s exhausting and it’s terrible that we’re still fighting for it.”
Jane, an LGBTIQ+ advocate who created the Rainbow Shoelace Project initiative in 2022, said such books were valuable educational resources for young people.

He believes that in the age of the internet and social media, restricting these items in libraries will mean that many children will rely solely on the internet to educate themselves about sex, relationships and LGBTIQ+ issues.

A young girl in glasses and a black t-shirt smiles and looks down.

Abbie Jane believes it’s important for young people to have access to books about sexuality and consent. Source: AAP

Jane said turning to social media and internet forums for sex education was “incredibly dangerous”.

“This is when misinformation spreads, people learn stereotypes, find things like pornography, and start viewing really violent, non-consensual sex and also unsafe sex practices,” he said.

“Sex and Gender Welcome to Queer books not only educate young people about safe sex, but they also educate them about queer sex and things like that, which are often taboo, but shouldn’t be taboo because it’s a normal human thing to be.”

What was the move announcement about?

The motion was put forward by Hornshaw at the council’s October 17 meeting, who asked for a brief detailing of policies and obligations regarding publications and videos held in libraries that contain sexually explicit content.
The notice emphasized accessibility to different age groups, consideration of concerns raised by community members, child safety and the welfare of customers and staff.
It was also discussed to prevent the material from being used for “criminal purposes, including but not limited to cleaning, domestic and gender-based violence.”
The move raised concerns that LGBTIQ+ themed books would be banned under the motion, but Hornshaw rejected this.
“Young people who identify as LGBTQ are not under any cloud of suspicion and I am sorry that they are perceived that way,” Hornshaw told the council meeting in October, explaining that his concerns were about the depiction of pedophilic material.
Hornshaw cited a 2010 OJJDP report: “Children accept what they see in books, and many pedophiles have used sex education books to prove to children that such sexual behavior is acceptable”. The author of this report said that the content of the report was based on his “intellectual experience” resulting from thousands of cases he had “objectively consulted or studied” and that some points were “solely his opinion”.
“It’s not about whether there was a homosexual or cross-sex encounter, it’s just about whether it involved pedophilia,” Hornshaw said.
Although he did not refer to him by name in his speech, the original published motion suggests this could mean: The book was the subject of book bans in conservative parts of the United States for allegedly depicting pedophilic material.
Hornshaw also touched on the “recent federal court decision” during his speech. A few days before the council meeting, the federal court ordered Australia’s classification review board to review the Gender Homosexual classification. It comes after right-wing activist Bernard Gaynor launched a legal challenge following a review last year in which the board classified the book as unrestricted and “M – not recommended for readers under 15”.
Kobabe has previously said that challenges to comic book-style memoirs come from those who want to “limit gay, trans and non-binary voices in the public sphere.”
“This is a story of acceptance. This is a story of coming out as non-binary. And in the story, I don’t face any negative consequences of coming out,” Kobabe said.
Opponents of Hornshaw’s motion argued that parents, not councils, should guide minors’ reading and said children could access more harmful images on the internet than in books.
Hornshaw said libraries under the council’s jurisdiction “undoubtedly” had policies in place to prevent criminal behaviour.
“With an appropriate briefing, councilors can also reassure the public that we are indeed protecting the most vulnerable,” he told the meeting.

Port Macquarie Hastings Council told SBS News no books would be banned under the motion and councilors would receive a briefing on the points raised by December.

Another council’s book banned backflips

In May, Cumberland City Council in Sydney’s west voted to ban books featuring gay parents.
Council member Steve Christou proposed the motion, asking the council to “take immediate action” to “eliminate” books and materials aimed at gay parents from their libraries.
Christou said she was approached by parents who were upset that Holly Duhig’s book, Gay Parents, was available in the toddler section of their local library.
The ban was passed by six votes to five.
In response, nearly 50,000 residents of the Cumberland area and the public signed a petition to lift the ban.
Caroline Staples, a longtime Cumberland area resident and grandmother of what she calls the “rainbow family,” started one of these petitions.
NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley and the state government has warned that the ban could lead to funding cuts for libraries.
Two weeks after the ban was implemented, the council met for four hours and .
Cumberland City Council mayor Lisa Lake welcomed the move.
“I was appalled by the decision we made at our last council meeting and I made it public at the time,” he told ABC News Breakfast.

“I think this is a very divisive and unnecessary debate.”

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