A local council in Sydney has voted to ban books about same-sex parents from its libraries.
Councillor Steve Christou proposed the ban, arguing that most of the council’s constituents are conservative and religious and don’t want “any form of sexualised experiences” available to children in the library.
Six Cumberland City Councillors voted in favour of the ban, while five, including Mayor Lisa Lake, opposed it.
In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks with Councillor Steve Christou to find out why he proposed the ban.
Despite he New South Wales Government has warned it could breach the Anti-Discrimination Act and even threatened to pull the council’s library funding, Cr. Christou has doubled down on the ban.
“Children have a right to just go in and not having to worry about this,” he said.
“So if they have same-sex parents, well, great, as long as they’re well cared for. Not a problem. Children shouldn’t have to worry about this at, you know, at the age of 2-3 and four years old.
“We’re reflecting the views of our residents; Australia would be a better place if more elected representatives did their job and represented their views of their local community, and our community is turning us loud and clear.”