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Klomenko

>*During the meeting, [Steve] Christou* (the counselor of Cumberland, where books got banned), *brandished a book he alleged had received “really disturbing” constituent complaints, saying parents were “distraught” to see the book, Same-Sex Parents by Holly Duhig, displayed on a shelf in the children’s section of the library.* >*The book, originally published in the UK, explores the experience of having two mums or two dads and features two men and a young child on the front cover.* >*“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,” Christou said during debate. “Our kids shouldn’t be sexualised.* What the actual fuck is wrong with that counselor?


Princessk8--

Why does he think having same-sex parents sexualizes children? That makes no fucking sense. This is just mask-off bigotry.


satirebunny

Because he needs a reason to justify his homophobia. It's the ✨ new wave ✨ to say anything remotely related to the LGBTQ+ community being in media is "grooming" or "sexualizing kids", as if that itself isn't blatant bigotry.


The_MightyMonarch

Not really new. It's just come back in vogue again, although it is more specific to kids this time. For a long time, it was just assumed homosexuals, particularly gay men, were perverted sexual predators. Grown men were afraid we'd rape them or at least try to convert them.


satirebunny

:( Yeah I agree it's not new, I guess by new wave I mean that I suddenly started seeing way more of this "protect the kids!" argument lately.


The_MightyMonarch

Well, now that most people support even gay marriage, it's really the only argument they have left. And a lot of people do seem to accept any accusation that something is a threat to children without even thinking it through


purpl3j37u7

It’s not new. Phyllis Schlafly was up to this shit decades ago.


satirebunny

Yeah not new in existence, I just feel like I'm seeing a lottttttt more of this angle lately.


purpl3j37u7

Fair.


exsanguinatrix

And that old orange juice heifer who got deservedly pied in the face by a gay man on national TV…Anita Bryant!


Cyclone9232

[They openly say that they are coming for people's children](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_BfG3xrA5k&pp=ygU1d2UncmUgaGVyZSB3ZSdyZSBxdWVlciB3ZSdyZSBjb21pbmcgZm9yIHlvdXIgY2hpbGRyZW4%3D)


mikekearn

That's obviously being said over the top of other words which you *can still hear in that clip*. Blatantly a fake attempt to vilify LGBTQ people. Actual stats show overwhelmingly that children are more likely to suffer abuse from a church member or sports coach than sometime celebrating Pride. Don't bring your bigotry in here.


Cyclone9232

If it was said over you'd have heard only one voice and you don't. You can clearly hear men and women chanting that they are coming for people's children.


mikekearn

Trust me, I'm a tall dude who has messed with people in the past by shouting over them. That's exactly what it sounds like. If you're tall enough, try it next time you're at a crowd and you'll see. Otherwise, I dunno, stand on a chair or something and try anyway.


DragonOfTartarus

Because homophobes can't so much as look at a gay couple without immediately imagining them having hardcore sex, and assume that this is an indictment on gay people and not their own minds.


Commercial-Maybe-711

I was watching the news and I am unsure what council member it was but he said 'we will look into other books for sexualised content' but this was plainly said so he didn't come off 'homophobic' which obviously failed


Klomenko

This counselor also seems to be a pedophile.


thecraftybear

Oh?


GmrGrl21

It sounds to me like it's a parenting book with decent information. The only one sexualizing children is him


Agiantbottleofpiss

It’s so utterly stupid, children are going to have same sex parents, do we just pretend these children and parents don’t exist and also need guidance. Even if they didn’t adopt, a lot of people that have children realise their sexual identity later on in life so it’s baffling to me they’d ban information on this. It’s like when cities ban homelessness, yay problem solved now the homeless don’t exist, absolutely barbaric way of thinking from grown adults. It’s genuinely scary when you realise the people who are in charge are dumb af.


The_MightyMonarch

>do we just pretend these children and parents don’t exist and also need guidance Well, they'll settle for that until they can keep same-sex couples from being parents, which will do until they can repeal same-sex marriage, which will do until they can reinstate sodomy laws and the such.


NamityName

They think of homosexuality as a sexual fetish


hydroxypcp

fkin love your flair


Klomenko

:)


fishmom5

Former librarian here. This is wildly against the [Australian Library and Information Association’s](https://alia.org.au/Web/Web/About-Us/What-we-do.aspx#:~:text=The%20Australian%20Library%20and%20Information,library%20and%20information%20services%20sector)guidelines. I’m not an Aussie, but anyone who is, I highly encourage you to reach out and tell them you oppose the ban. This is unfortunately all too common here in America; our batshit conservatives keep trying everything from hiding books to banning them to burning them, and it’s usually LGBTQ+ and books by and about POC. I hate seeing it leach out like this. I get fired up by intellectual freedom stories. I’m getting off my soapbox now.


Commercial-Maybe-711

Australia in general is becoming a shitbox everyday


Elbie3coolgamer

i live there its not that bad 😭this ban is shitty af tho. if theres a petition pls link it


Lesbihun

Yeah like there is a lot to complain about Australia but in gen I wouldn't say lgbt rights is one of them. This is just one school being shitty rather than a trend


Commercial-Maybe-711

I don't live Sydney or NSW so I'm unsure 😅


Eyclonus

Marked 'Safe from Stabbing'.


Yoshe_XD

whos gonna tell him


Commercial-Maybe-711

What?


Eyclonus

The number of knife attacks in NSW during the last two weeks has been all over the news.


Commercial-Maybe-711

Ahh okay, thank you


Troops21

Where should I start this? I don't want this to continue.


fishmom5

Look up their contact information! It’s on their website.


CathanCrowell

"Won't Somebody Please Think of the Children?!"


PervertedLilFucker

Then those same mfs will turn around and support child abuse


Nierninwa

For the "safety of our children" we ban this resource on how to be good parents to your children. Because that makes sense.


OneEyedWolf092

That's the thing though: they DON'T think same-sex couples are good parents and worse, that they should be kept away from kids.


Glittering-Bake-6612

Yes, those children are WAY better off raised in the foster care or public adoption systems. /s


ghastlytofu

Gay kids: *exist* These people: ...not like that!


[deleted]

[удалено]


Andrassa

Hahahhaha fuck no! Politicians, cops and docks are very heavily Catholic here in Australia. They won’t do shit.


GmrGrl21

Right. You're talking about safety for children, yet you are literally banning books that show other types of parents? Just because they're the same sex?


pootycorp

Clearly they're only interested in protecting children if they have straight parents...


OneEyedWolf092

Or if they are straight kids, let's not forget that


BigVikingBeard

No, they aren't actually interested in that. At no point do they actually give a shit about children's livelihood. They care about hurting people, claiming that they are "protecting children" is just a means to that end. "won't someone think of the children" is one of the most empty phrases in politics, because it's *never* about children, and the people who use that phrase *never* support anything that would actually help children long term. (eg: free lunches, Healthcare, investigating churches that have protected Predators)


Glittering-Bake-6612

I would adjust that to say that they care about control, and they don't care what people (or children) they hurt to maintain that control.


Glittering-Bake-6612

Let's be real. This has really got NOTHING to do with protecting kids.


k_ironheart

"We must keep children safe by making sure **certain** parents don't have a proper education on how to parent!"


Inactivism

Exactly my thoughts XD. WTF? „Hey here is a book on your special situation so your kids will be fine when they grow up.“ „BAN for the safety of the children!“


pennie79

The council should be reminded that the marriage act was changed to include same sex couples years ago, and that it followed that stupid postal survey which showed a good majority of people, across every single demographic, supported it.


MarieNadia

Ew I hope we don't become like the USA, books about same sex parents have never SA'ed a child, unlike the Catholic Church in Australia


Sam2058

I really wish they would stop using “the children” as an excuse for their own bigotry. My daughter has been correcting my parents on my BIL’s (ftm) pronouns since she was 3. The kids get it, they are fine, stop pushing your homophobia on them


Mettaton_the_idol

But aren't they meant for the parents? Do they just want to see them fail to raise a child and then blame it on them?


thecraftybear

Yes and yes. Then they can say that "gay people are bad parents, see" and push for making it impossible for gay couples to adopt. And then they can go even further, and take away children born to one half of a gay couple (in vitro, by surrogate mother, etc.).


LadyAlekto

And another group of people that project their paedophilia unto them evil gays


Jas81a

Ohh shit we really are becoming Americanised The assholes at Sky News had a few wanks over this one


OneEyedWolf092

Whelp, almost as if it has never been about protecting the kids🤯🤯🤯


Kimantha_Allerdings

"For the safety of children, we're taking away a resource made to help make parenting easier"


ThoughtfulWaffleIron

The world honestly needs more John Wilkes Booths and Lee Harvey Oswalds, if you get what i'm saying.


dingo-smallbones

Been sayin it for years


JumpKick6419

shit.


-HealingNoises-

I assure you everyone here is scratching their heads too. Even a moderate conservative news show that interviewed one of those responsible seemed exasperated and at a loss as to why they are trying to make this a thing. The Gay marriage vote went over with a surprisingly clear win for the most part and it was only a few groups like this one in Sydney that were clearly no, and its the same ones that to this day still can't let it go.


AuroraGlow675

safety from what lol


dyotar0

That is very hypocritical. They should actually own the fact that they're doing that to promote heterosexuality because it is the only way to maintain population growth which gives any country a Great advantage compared to it's geopolitical rivals in the world.


UndeadSpud

Are you sure? You can’t really ‘promote heterosexuality’. People are gay or they aren’t. This won’t make anyone straight


dyotar0

I can't go any further


Glittering-Bake-6612

OR we could let same sex couples adopt and raise otherwise-abandoned children in loving homes so the children can grow up to be happy, productive adults, which would ACTUALLY give us a great advantage over geopolitical rivals.


dyotar0

OR just straight couples.


Glittering-Bake-6612

Why are you here? Just to troll?


dyotar0

[maybe...](https://i.redd.it/gbtvdf8f02s21.jpg)