The NSW government is threatening to withhold funding from Cumberland City Council over its decision to ban same-sex parenting material from its libraries.
It comes as LGBTI+ groups urge Sydney residents to sign a petition that calls on the Cumberland City Council to reverse its decision to ban the books.
The petition, hosted by Equality Australia, was created by Caroline Staples, a Cumberland resident who is the mother of 4 adult children and a proud grandmother to a rainbow family. She says she fears for the safety of rainbow families in the community.
“This [the book ban] crosses a dangerous line. Our area welcomes people of all backgrounds and beliefs, we’re not about banning books just because someone does not like who is in them,” Staples said.
The motion to ban same-sex parenting material was sponsored by independent councillor Steve Christou. The motion passed six votes for and five against.
A former Labor councillor and mayor, Christou moved that “council take immediate action to rid same-sex books/materials in council’s library service” as part of its library strategy over the coming years.
During the meeting, it was reported that Christou brandished a book called Same-Sex Parents, which features two men and a child on the cover. He said he’d received complaints from parents about it.
It was reported that during the debate of the motion, Christou said the council’s religious community didn’t want “controversial issues going against their beliefs indoctrinated into their libraries.”
“This is not Marrickville or Newtown, this is Cumberland City Council, and we need to respect the wishes of our residents,” he said.
The NSW Library Act 1939 states that it does not prevent a local authority from determining “the limitations, restrictions and conditions which may apply to the availability of any particular item of library material or class of library material for use on or away from the library premises”.
Threat to withhold funding
The vote drew a fiery response from NSW Arts Minister John Graham, who said the state government would look at withholding funding from the council.
“When civilisations turn to burning books or banning books it is a very bad sign. That is equally true for local councils,” Graham said.
“It is up to readers to choose which book to take off the shelf. It should not be up to local councillors to make that choice for them or engage in censorship.”
‘Homophobic’
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore branded the gay book ban “homophobic”.
“At our libraries in the City of Sydney everyone is welcome, irrespective of gender or sexuality,” Moore said. “We proudly provide a safe space for everyone.”
The Inner West City Council’s mayor Darcy Byrne called Christou’s motion pathetic and said he would continue to include books and resources for all families in his council’s libraries.
“If someone as deliberately divisive as Councillor Steve Christou thinks the Inner West is too inclusive and respectful, we wear that as a badge of honour,” he said.
“Let’s be honest, if someone as small-minded as Steve Christou is allowed to decide what books kids are able to read and borrowed, we’ll end up with nothing but comic books in library collections.”
Ashley Scott, the chief executive officer of advocacy group Rainbow Families, told GSN the decision by Cumberland was disappointing and incredibly damaging to families.
“Kids from Rainbow Families need to see their family represented in books at their local library. If people would like to support overturning the ban, the best thing to do is sign the petition from Equality Australia,” said Scott.
Christou rejected suggestions the ban was discriminatory, telling The Daily Telegraph that Labor was focusing on “culture wars” instead of cost-of-living pressures.
“People are struggling to pay for the mortgage, groceries and bills [and] here we have the Labor Party indoctrinating itself in culture wars.”
Christou, who admitted to Network 10 that he had not read the Same-Sex Parents book, said he brought the motion to council due to the religious make-up of the community.
“They hold deep family and religious values, regardless of whether they’re from a Catholic, Orthodox, Islamic or Hindu background…I think it’s disgraceful for a Labor state government to now threaten to withdraw funding based on the decision of a council and their ideologies.”
Cumberland’s Mayor Lisa Lake voted against their motion, saying it was not the place of local governments to decide which books could be read.
“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,” Lake said.
A spokesperson for Cumberland City Council did not say if the ban would include all books featuring same-sex parents, or just those aimed at children.
“Council has commenced the process of reviewing its collection with a view to determining those titles which would need to be considered for removal from library services in implementing this resolution,” the spokesperson said.
GSN reached out to Christou who did not respond by deadline.
GSN is also seeking comment from NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig.
Clarification: The “Caroline” behind the petition is Caroline Staples, a Cumberland resident who is the mother of 4 adult children and a proud grandmother to a rainbow family. We initially wrote that she did not provide her last name. It isn’t mentioned on the petition. However, it is in a media release by Equality Australia.
Gay Sydney News reporter