A local council in Western Sydney has voted in favour to “rid” council-run libraries of books containing parenting material for LGBTQIA+ families.
Last Wednesday, former mayor and current councillor of Cumberland City Council Steve Christou put forward a motion “that council take immediate action to rid same-sex parents books/materials in council’s library service”.
Six councillors voted in favour of the motion, with five, including Mayor Lisa Lake, voting against.
Displaying a book titled Same-Sex Parents by Holly Duhig – which features two men and a child on the front cover – Christou told the council his motion is representative of the “religious and conservative” community he serves in Cumberland City Council.
“This community is a very religious community, a very family-oriented community,” Christou said.
“They don’t want such controversial issues going against their beliefs indoctrinated to their libraries.
“This is not Marrickville or Newtown, this is Cumberland City Council, and we need to respect the wishes of our residents.”
Christou told the council exposure to such material “opens up our children” to “sexualisation”.
“Children are innocent and should be allowed to enjoy appropriate story reading time in their libraries without being burdened by issues of sexualisation,” Christou said.
“Hands off our kids.”
Cumberland City Mayor Lisa Lake was one of the five councillors who voted against Christou’s motion.
“If it’s not a banned book then certainly there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be available to someone who may be seeking it through our libraries, and it’s certainly not a matter for us to censor,” the Mayor said.
“It’s not reflective of the principles that Cumberland City Council upholds generally in our community.”
Yesterday, NSW Arts Minister John Graham issued a statement to the media responding to the council’s passed motion. He said the decision to censor books is not one for local councillors to make.
“When civilisations turn to burning books or banning books it is a very bad sign. That is equally true for local councils,” Minister Graham said.
“It should not be up to local councillors to make that choice for them or engage in censorship.
“We are examining the consequences this decision may have for the council continuing to receive library funding from the NSW government.”
Steve Christou was a former member of the Labor party, joining the Our Local Community party before he became Mayor of Cumberland City Council in 2019. He was publicly against the First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum last year and has previously expressed conservative views on issues including drag queen reading time at libraries, trans rights and more.
‘It takes you back’
Advocacy organisations like Parents in Pride Australia (PFLAG) have strongly condemned the outcome of the Cumberland City Council meeting.
Two parents involved with PFLAG – who wish to remain anonymous due to safety concerns – have been advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights for more than 25 years and see the Council’s decision as a step backwards.
“We’ve been reasonably satisfied in the goals we have achieved for equal rights,” they told Women’s Agenda, “but to be confronted with this kind of thing really takes you back.”
The parents remembered the late President of PFLAG, Rudy van der Hart, who was a strong believer in the power of education. When his son came out to him, van der Hart took to his local library to educate himself, completely changing his admittedly homophobic views.
“The local library was just so important to him,” the parents from PFLAG said.
The couple, who are parents to a gay son and grandparents to two adopted children, said they have written to several politicians including Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig to have the decision overturned.
United States book ban
The outcome of the council meeting follows a similar trend in the United States, where governments are banning books in libraries that contain material about the LGBTQIA+ community.
Earlier this year, the American Library Association (ALA) reported that 2023 saw a record number of books banned in US schools and libraries – more than any other year since records began.
There were 4,240 book titles targeted for censorship last year, and nearly half (47 per cent) related to issues of the LGBTQIA+ community or contained material on issues of race. This reflects a 63 per cent spike from the previous record year, where 2,571 books were banned in 2022.
The parents involved with PFLAG who spoke with Women’s Agenda said they are concerned Australia could follow down a similar path.
“We worry about the right wing religious groups that seem to be growing in power,” they said. “That’s who we’re up against.”
In their work with PFLAG, the parents have been involved with several Christian groups who are welcoming of the LGBTQIA+ community, but “right-wing extremists” are threatening the belonging of the community and allies.
“We are concerned for our safety,” the parents said.