The Albany Library staff’s failure to relocate books Welcome to Sex and Sex: A Book for Teens from the junior section prompted a petition from ‘Keep Children Safe Albany’ supported by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL). Over 300 locals called for a Special Electors meeting with over 420 residents turning up for the meeting, with many standing for its duration! The media, Albany Pride, and Equality Australia publicised the event, making outrageous claims. Equality Australia even circulated a petition claiming it was about banning books from the Albany library, when the actual issue was simply placing them in age-appropriate sections. A number of motions were successfully passed by the meeting, including that ‘Welcome to Sex’ be restricted to over 16s, and that two other publications be referred to the Classification Board. The librarians have removed ‘Welcome to Sex’ from the junior section to the Young Adult section. The motions will now be considered by the Councilors at their meeting on September 24th. A parliamentary e-petition has been launched calling for an inquiry into the issues surrounding sexually explicit books being available to young children.
Source: Australian Christian Lobby
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