A Sydney council has banned books with same-sex parents from its libraries. But since when did councils ban books?

Cumberland City Councillor Steve Christou (Image: Facebook/Steve Christou) Western Sydney’s Cumberland City Council has banned all books depicting same-sex parents in its eight public libraries, citing concerns over the “safety” of children. The ban was passed (six votes for and five against, while four councillors were not present to vote) at a recent council meeting, and was spearheaded by councillor and former Cumberland mayor Steve Christou. According to the ABC, a process is underway to determine how many books will be banned.

As a queer woman and foster mother to 12 children over the past decade, as well as a researcher on the connection between representation in children’s books and child welfare, I was disheartened to learn Christou had argued books about same-sex parenting “sexualised” children. Presenting the council with a copy of the children’s picture book Same-Sex Parents by Holly Duhig , Christou said: “Our kids shouldn’t be sexualised ..



. This community is a very religious community, a very family-orientated community..

.” The far right’s obsession with drag queen storytimes is spreading across Australia Read More Christou said toddlers shouldn’t be “exposed” to same-sex content. His argument epitomises a particular social fallacy that children need to be “taught” about same-sex parented families at a specific, appropriate age.

This speaks to the idea of same-sex relationships as being unnatural or strange, and therefore somethin.