Mackay grandmother targets sex-education books in council libraries, asks for them be restricted
A small but vocal group of petitioners in a Queensland city want their local council to remove children’s books containing what they describe as “pornographic” material, singling out sex-ed books with queer themes.
Mackay
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A best-selling sex education book aimed at teenagers is the target of a ‘concerned’ grandmother in Mackay who wants warning labels on children’s books containing what she claims is ‘pornographic’ material.
Rhonda Marriage is behind the petition demanding Mackay Regional Council immediately remove books she claims contain sexually explicit or “gender corrupt” material.
The North Mackay grandparent said she and the 80-plus others who signed the petition have a “big problem” with the books which included the likes of Welcome to Sex written by former TV presenter Yumi Stynes together with Dr Melissa Kang, who penned the popular Dolly Doctor column.
The signatures in the petition filed to Mackay Regional Council are overwhelmingly dated in 2023, the majority in September.
Ms Marriage said she hoped the ‘newly-elected councillors’ would be more open to discussion.
Cumberland Council in NSW is currently under investigation for passing a resolution banning same-sex parenting books, with its state funding at risk.
The language on the Mackay petition is identical to a website found by the Daily Mercury called ‘Stop Corrupting Our Kids’, which has an overwhelming obsession with kids’ gender identity, including trans kids, and an insistence that sex education for children is inappropriate.
“Young children don’t need sexual partners, they don’t need to know about anal sex or how to masturbate,” the website notes.
“They don’t need to be confused about what gender they are especially as they go through puberty because it’s already a challenging enough time for them, they’re confused, they’re learning, they’re experimenting.
“If like us, you don’t consider this appropriate, then consider joining with us as we collectively fight together to ensure that our children are not shown this type of information before the time that is appropriate … like adulthood.”
Underneath both quotes is an image of Rhonda Marriage, and her contemporaries, holding up a copy of ‘Welcome to Sex’ in protest at the Mackay Regional Council, and Mrs Marriage has confirmed she is involved with the page.
The Daily Mercury put to Mrs Marriage her critics might ask what would be the point of a sex education book for teens you weren’t allowed to read until you were 18.
“Those people are part of the agenda to sexualise and ruin our children,” she said.
“They have their opinion, I have mine.”
Speaking on ‘Welcome to Sex’ Mrs Marriage believed the sexual detail including about anal sex, oral sex and “scissoring” in lesbian relationships was inappropriate for children who were just entering puberty.
She further criticised a section of the book that advised teens to crop their heads off before sending nudes, rather than discourage the practice of distributing child abuse material which has criminal offence implications.
The Daily Mercury obtained a copy of Welcome To Sex from the library, and found the book clearly writes “nudes of people under 18 are considered ‘child pornography’ by the law in Australia”.
When asked, Mrs Marriage said she would have no issue with sex education in the context of explaining procreation, or for parents to get books for their kids they believe are appropriate.
But for her, the issue is that in many books, “there’s too much information about sex, and the wrong information about transgendering”.
Mrs Marriage has also signed petitions lodged to both state and federal governments requesting a crackdown and stricter classification process for youth texts containing sexual or extremely violent content.
“We’re going to continue until they either restrict these publications into a restricted area or put an 18-plus restriction on them,” she said.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath recently responded to the state-tabled petition stating the Commonwealth Classification Board assessed texts using the National Classification Scheme.
The petition had requested the parliament introduce measures to ensure sexually-explicit publications were held in restricted areas; that parents or guardians accompanied minors wishing to borrow such material; that public libraries remove “legally restricted” texts; and that public and school libraries be audited to identify “submittable” publications for further review by the CCB.
Ms D’Ath said texts that portrayed minors involved in sexualised nudity, or that incited or instructed crime or violence – which fell outside generally accepted community standards – could be refused classification.
“A publication that has been refused classification cannot be sold or distributed in Australia,” Ms D’Ath said.
Previously, Ms Marriage pushed Mackay council to take action on ‘chemtrails’ — a conspiracy theory that the government is modifying the weather/atmosphere/mind controlling citizens (depending on your beliefs) through airborne-released chemicals in planes.
At the time, Mrs Marriage said, “You can scoff all you like, but the World Economic Forum have no hesitation in bragging about their master plan to reduce the world population”.
The Daily Mercury put Ms Marriage’s claims to the Welcome to Sex publishers, Hardie Grant Publishing, which said the book is an ‘education and age-appropriate guide for tweens and teens and their parents about sex and sexuality.
Kate Brown, managing director for HGCP, Hardie Grant, said parents and caregivers are encouraged to make their own decisions about what is appropriate to share with their family.
“Welcome to Sex was developed in response to genuine questions about sex from adolescents to Dolly Doctor over a twenty-year period, as well as comprehensive interviews with young people and adolescent experts about issues they are facing, particularly in an online world,” she said.
Welcome to Sex has sold close to 100,000 copies, according to Hardie Grant Publishing.
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Originally published as Mackay grandmother targets sex-education books in council libraries, asks for them be restricted
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