HK LIBRARY CALL TO ACTION
Ten children’s books telling stories relating to same-sex parenting and sexual identities have been moved to the “closed stacks” of Hong Kong’s public libraries, following a campaign by the Family School Sexual Orientation Discrimination Ordinance Concern Group. This organization consists of people who think that their beliefs are superior to yours.
Hong Kong libraries are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and they are funded by tax dollars from all of us – heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. What the LCSD has done is also against the principles of The Unesco Public Library Manifesto, which states that the public’s access to knowledge, information and research should be safeguarded. LCSD claims to endorse the manifesto, but their recent decision has shown otherwise.
These are the books that have been moved to the closed stacks, many of which have been deemed “neutral” by LCSD:
- And Tango Makes Three – a 2005 children’s book that tells the story of two male penguins, Roy and Silo, who create a family together. The book was based on the true story of two male chinstrap penguins who fell in love in New York’s Central Park Zoo.
- Daddy, Pappa and Me; and Mommy, Mama and Me – Two of the only original board books about gay parents! From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there’s no limit to what a loving family can do together. Share the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.
- Molly’s Family – What makes a family? In kindergarten class, Molly and Tommy work on drawing pictures to put on the walls for Open School Night. Molly draws her family: Mommy, Mama Lu, and her puppy, Sam. But when Tommy looks at her picture, he tells her it’s not of a family. “You can’t have a mommy and a mama,” he says. Molly doesn’t know what to think; no one else in her class has two mothers. She isn’t sure she wants her picture to be on the wall for Open School Night.
- The Family Book – The Family Book celebrates the love we feel for our families and all the different varieties they come in. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a clean family or a messy one, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way.
- Introducing Teddy – Errol and his teddy, Thomas, are best friends who do everything together. One sunny day, Thomas finally tells Errol what the teddy has been afraid to say: “In my heart, I’ve always known that I’m a girl teddy, not a boy teddy. I wish my name was Tilly, not Thomas.” And Errol says, “I don’t care if you’re a girl teddy or a boy teddy! What matters is that you are my friend.”
- The Boy in the Dress – a children’s book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is the first book by Walliams, a television comedian best known for the show Little Britain. It tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy who enjoys cross-dressing, and the reactions of his family and friends. Aimed at readers aged eight to twelve, it is intended to teach children that cross-dressing is a healthy and acceptable hobby and not something to be ashamed of. It has been adapted into a television film and an upcoming musical starring Robbie Williams.
- Milly, Molly and Different Dads
- Annie on My Mind
- Good Moon Rising
These books are all about loving families and people on their journeys to find their identities. It is sad that LCSD thinks they should be taken off the shelves while books such as A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality, about conversion therapy that has been debunked by most psychologists and psychiatrists, stays on.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
You can complain to LCSD about your dissatisfaction of their recent decision:
www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/contactus/email.php
enquiries@lcsd.gov.hk
Tel: 1823
Lodge a complaint to the Home Affairs Bureau Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Unit 民政事務局 性別認同及性傾向小組 :
Hotline: 2835-1565 (Mon- Fri 0845 – 1800, Sat, Sun and PH: Closed)
Fax: 2591-6002
Email: gisou@hab.gov.hk