The Cumberland City Council book ban threatens to erase queer families. It’s a threat that deserves a serious responseThere's been a lot of talk about freedom of speech in our country, about what people can read at the library, about what people should see on the internet.
But Christou, who doesn't want the government to tell him what to watch on the internet, is the one who put forward a motion at the Cumberland City Council to ban books after claiming parents had complained aboutThe motion put forward by Christou declared "that council take immediate action to rid same-sex parents books and materials in the council's library service".
The use of multiculturalism as a weapon against gay and lesbian families was what struck me as the most dangerous. In a country where migrants are expected to fit in, the one exception we seem to be happy to make is when it comes to the acceptance of gay people and their families.NSW Premier Chris Minns said the Western Sydney council's same-sex parenting book ban was a "joke", while calling on them to immediately repeal the decision or face consequences, including funding cuts.
And there it is. The idea that elected politicians — even at the local level — can censor access to books about queer families under the guise of religion is breathtaking. And the erasure of rainbow families from Western Sydney on the basis thatThese issues are more than just a political football to be used to grab headlines.The sensitivity in this Sydney council around same-sex couples having children is even more troubling when put in a national context.