Booksellers have pulled a popular sex education book from their shelves to protect staff from further abuse after a month-long campaign by Australian anti-LGBTQIA+ conspiracy theorists was amplified in the mainstream media.
On Tuesday, BIG W confirmed that it had removed Dr Melissa Kang and Yumi Stynes’ book Welcome to Sex: Your no-silly-questions guide to sexuality, pleasure and figuring it out from its physical shelves after “multiple incidents of abuse”. The department store continues to stock the book online.
The book, sold as a “frank, age-appropriate introductory guide to sex and sexuality for teens of all genders”, first became a target of conspiracy theorists in June.
Diana Aboud is a Sydney-based, Catholic anti-LGBTQIA+ campaigner who has thousands of followers across Telegram, Facebook and Instagram under various account names including “Mummas Roar”, “Protect our Kids” and “The Faithful Alliance”.
On June 20 she began posting about the book appearing in stores. Posting photographs of pages from the book featuring information about gender identity and sexual acts, Aboud called for her followers to send complaints to BIG W and Target. “This book should be illegal!!!!” she wrote.
Despite claiming that Target had pulled the book from its shelves in June, both a Target spokesperson and Stynes told Crikey at the time that this was not the case. She told Crikey that the book, which has been review bombed since the campaign started, is now sold out on Amazon and BIG W has ordered more stock.
While this campaign continued to circulate in online conspiracy communities for the best part of a month, mainstream outlets seized upon it following a viral video about the book posted by an anti-vaccine, climate-denying conspiracy theorist podcaster who was charged in 2021 for allegedly impersonating a police officer on TikTok.
On Monday, Christian Spicer, whose online nom de plume is “Primod”, posted a video claiming that the book was proof of the “LGBT+ agenda coming after kids”, as part of his pivot to publishing anti-LGBTQIA+ content.
The clip was picked up on Tuesday by 2GB’s Ben Fordham, who called on stores stocking the book to “take it off their shelves” in an interview with Rachael Wong, CEO of conservative women’s group Women’s Forum. Other conservative outlets such as Sky News Australia and the Daily Mail Australia followed up on the story.
Like their international counterparts, Australia’s anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown freedom movements have pivoted to spreading conspiracy theories about the LGBTQIA+ community as vaccines and COVID-19 restrictions faded from relevance. These figures and groups fearmonger about children being “groomed” by LGBTQIA+ groups or share misinformation about sex and gender education. And, in cases like Christian Lives Matter protesters, have resorted to vandalism and violence.
When BIG W removed the book from its physical stores out of concern for its staff’s wellbeing, Wong celebrated the decision: “THANK YOU & well done to everyone who contacted them about this!” she tweeted, before personally tagging Spicer with a “big thanks”.
American style nastiness dressed up as concern for children.
Religious nutcases at their evil best.
Hateful!
Not even dressed up as concern. This just one more by the promoters of inane conspiracy theories. What lies behind it all is a process of depressing knowledge of the population and depressing all of us back to the theocracy that led to the evilly inspired activities that occurred during the depression. Sadly, most are inspired by the religions of hate currently causing so much harm in the United States.
Exactly, the ‘Catholic anti-LGBTQIA+ campaigner’ uses the US and UK RW modus operandi to promote, but what is ignored are the sources of the agitprop.
Considering many of the proponents are not too smart, they misinform their own communities when reliant upon others’ disinformation content (often astroturfed); in US and UK there are the usual oligarch think tanks in the background a la climate science denial.
2GB and Sky “News” pumping up Right-Wing pseudo-religious nutbaggery……………..
……..why am I not surprised?
More to the point, when will the government introduce a “Fit & Proper Person” requirement into media licenses?
And impose the regulations that actually do exist instead of playing nice with the muckrakers.
Does Sky “News” still have a broadcast location in Parliament House?………………..
……………….and if so, WHY?
We have a perfectly adequate national broadcaster, and should feel no obligation to allow access to an agent of a foreign government.
I wonder if the Chinese would like access too?
We cannot allow a vocal minority to bully us into the days of sexual fear and ignorance that those of us in the upper demographics lived through decades ago.
Can’t have retail workers doubling as riot police either
Agreed, but when ties this in with the intimidation of local government events, there is a broader trend emerging that is of great concern.
Maybe we should import more of the USA insanity……………
……….time for all retail workers to be armed with AR15s.
That’ll deter the nutbags.
(Not quite sure what it will do for retail sales, but at least the American arms manufacturers will be pleased)
Yes. The problem is looking more like a lack of courage. Conservative nutters and whining shock-jocks are nothing new, but why are stores and councils suddenly giving ground to them? Assuming the worst came to the worst, and someone was beaten up or killed, the Right Wing Nutters would have a backlash against them that push them back under the rocks they emerged from, or better yet, into jail.
Nobody working retail or at a council is getting paid enough to risk bodily harm.
that’s true but kowtowing to these tactics just encourages them
I have seen some highly problematic books for kids, men kissing unconscious and dead women for one (Snow White and Sleeping Beauty). I have never once thought verbally assaulting staff was an appropriate thing to do . Why are we letting these individuals dictate what other people’s children can read.
Grim Furry Tails have a lot to answer for: rape, sexual harassment, self-harm, murder, cannibalism, racism, speciesism etc. Fairy tales are pretty ghastly really.
Yes but reflect the times they were written in. I don’t think people understand how misogynistic we were
The far right nut jobs bring obscure issues forward and then leave it up to their nut job media to do their bit, and all of a sudden it becomes a major issue. There is the war against the LBGTQIA+ on one front and the war against the voice on the other, they pick issue where there is uncertainty and keep at it until they effect a change in attitudes, much to the detriment of society.
Also comes with attacks on schools, university or higher education under the guise of ‘free speech’, anti-woke and climate/Covid science denialism a la UK’s Toby Young of the Free Speech Union and The Daily Sceptic (with Koch support in background); carte blanche access to media and mass social media presence, not restricted to the Anglosphere…. on while smorgasboard of fabricated issues under ‘free speech’
https://bylinetimes.com/category/rights/freedom-of-speech/