This is an urgent call to action to protect Australia's human rights and freedom of expression.
Cumberland City Council has just set an alarming precedent. Based on religious views of some of its members, the council has voted to remove a children’s book featuring same-sex parents from its public library. This decision undermines the secular values of diversity, acceptance and human rights that we hold dear in Australia. With marriage equality established, it's troubling to see censorship of inclusive literature, especially for our younger generations. Councillors who voted to ban the book should know that freedom faith cannot be an excuse for freedom to hate.
Systematic human rights abuses and attrocities build momentum and ramp up via small and incremental steps. So when we see them occur, we need to call them out. I’ve already contacted the council's complaints officer to express my concerns. Now I’m asking for your support to help reverse this decision.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Contact Cumberland City Council: Call their office on 02-87579000 or send an email to council@cumberland.nsw.gov.au to share your disapproval of this censorship. A large public response can help influence a positive outcome.
2. Spread Awareness: Share this email with your network, and post about it on social media to amplify our collective voice.
3. Support Inclusive Literature: Borrow and purchase children's books that celebrate diversity. Your engagement with these resources sends a strong message.
Banning books is un-Australian. By working together, we can safeguard the principles of equality, diversity and acceptance in Australia.
Apart from this being unbelievably insanely ridiculous, how is this even happening? Where is the equity and justice and common decency? In this day and age, identity preferences should be a non-issue. Acceptance of each person as an individual should be the standard and not something that needs to be fought for. I was a teacher for many years and part of daily interaction with kids was around caring for each other and appreciating the varieties of talents, interests, personalities, beliefs, backgrounds and desires that filled our classroom. It created opportunity for camaraderie, respect and learning, nonjudgement and inclusion. Individual differences were a gift. So shame on those of you who are so bigoted and so cruel as to be…