If you don’t think there’s a war being waged against our children right now, you haven’t been paying attention. Or maybe you just haven’t been shopping at Big W.
Or Target, Dymocks, Amazon, Booktopia, or many other booksellers around our nation.
These stores are selling a book called Welcome to Sex. It’s marketed at 11-year-olds, but one of the authors says that they would be happy for an 8-year-old to read it. Really?
See what you think.
The first page says, ‘Whether you’re an apprehensive 11-year-old or a curious 14-year-old, this book is full of info you need.’
What info would that be?
The book talks about the importance of penis size and then quickly moves on to explain how different sexual positions can help a person achieve orgasm.
It talks about fingering, hand jobs, oral sex, and, of course, no children’s book these days would be complete without a section promoting transgenderism.
One page is titled: ‘The low down on anal sex’. It doesn’t just describe anal sex, it describes how a couple might like to lick each other’s anuses. It’s hard to believe that anyone would think this is appropriate information for an 11-year–old, let alone an 8-year-old.
As far as I am concerned, consenting adults can do what they like in the privacy of their own homes. So long as it’s legal, each to their own is my motto. But why is an Australian retail store selling material like this aimed at children who are way below the legal age of consent?
Next time you are tempted to shop at any of these stores, consider whether you want to support a retailer that is happy to stock this kind of material.
Typically, when stores receive complaints about items like these they make excuses. They say things like they didn’t realise what the book was about, or that the book was for parents rather than children, or that they’ve suddenly realised that they’ve made a mistake and they withdraw the item from shelves.
But not BIG W – they doubled down. They said on their website in response to someone who left a negative review of the book that they believed the book was ‘age appropriate’ and that it ‘matched the development and early experiences of 12-15-year-olds’. Excuse me? What 12-year-old needs to learn about anal sex, hand jobs, blow jobs, fingering and so much more in that vein? And how could any of this be appropriate for an 8-year-old?
It remains to be seen what other retailers say in response to parental complaints. The question I ask is why any retailer would put a book like this on sale in the first place. Who makes these decisions and how on earth can they justify them?
I urge parents who are concerned about the book to politely make their thoughts known to the stores that stock this kind of material and to consider very carefully where they spend their dollar. The language that every retailer understands is money, so speak to them in a way they’ll understand.
Remember, courage is contagious and if you want to protect the innocence of our children, it comes down to each of us to show that we care. God bless you and God bless our nation.
Senator Ralph Babet of the United Australia Party represents Victoria in the Australian Senate
