Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

by Peter Abetz

Albany locals decided to act after discovering, and unsuccessfully asking for the removal of, sexually explicit and age-inappropriate books in the children’s section of their local library.

Undeterred, the group Keep Children Safe Albany, aided by a large number of ACL volunteers, collected over 300 signatures calling for a Special Electors meeting, legally obliging the local council to call a meeting to discuss their concern that the city was facilitating the sexualisation of children by allowing sexually explicit books in the junior section of the library, and by previously advertising a ‘twerking’ workshop for ‘all ages’.

LGBT Activists

Albany Pride and Equality Australia countered the Keep Children Safe Albany petition with a sensationally titled petition of their own, “Stop book bans in Albany”, urging people to sign because “the LGBTQ+ community is under attack”. But no one was under attack, and no one was advocating the banning of any books. Sadly, the false claim revealed an unwillingness to engage rationally with the issue under consideration.

A West Australian statewide librarian email network circulated an email urging people to sign the Equality petition. The local Albany media joined in. Albany Pride portrayed the community meeting as an attack on them, and their supporters turned out in large numbers. Some demonstrated outside, while others made speeches in the meeting. It was disappointing to see the aggressive behaviour of a number of the activists.

Success

The huge community interest swelled the crowded meeting to over 420, such that there was standing room only. Encouragingly, all four of the motions proposed by Keep Children Safe Albany passed by an overwhelming majority, including restricting the book Welcome to Sex to borrowers aged 16 and older, and temporarily removing two other books from the library until they are assessed by the Australian Classification Board.

The meeting also supported a motion for stricter age restrictions and enhanced child safeguarding in all council advertising following the City co-funding a “twerking” workshop during Pride Week, initially advertised as “all ages”.

It’s difficult to understand why anyone would feel threatened by their community wanting to prevent the sexualisation of children.

The motions that were passed by the meeting will now be considered by the elected council members at their next meeting on Sept 24.

A small win:  The librarians have already removed the book Welcome to Sex from the junior section to the Young Adult section.

___

Republished with thanks to The Australian Christian Lobby. Image courtesy of Adobe.