Selwyn_Times: October 04, 2023

Selwyn Times Wednesday October 4 2023
18
LETTERS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Sex ed book continues to cause division
Readers respond to the
continuing controversy
surrounding the
sex education book
Welcome to Sex: Your
no-silly-questions
guide to sexuality,
pleasure and figuring
it out. Written by Dr
Melissa Kang and
TV personality Yumi
Stynes, the book’s
place in libraries is
being reviewed by the
district council after a
Selwyn resident raised
issue with it in a public
forum at the district
council meeting
Libraries are places where information
is freely available for
people to access if they choose
to. The views of one individual
should not dictate what others
in the community have the right
to read.
There is a proliferation of
freely available online pornography
promoting unhealthy
and unrealistic views of sexual
relationships, so books about
sexual education are necessary
now more than ever.
Welcome to Sex is written by
a doctor and a journalist and
offers factual, medically based
information for young people
who are seeking guidance about
a potentially confusing phase of
their lives.
Welcome to Sex should be
available for those who may feel
more comfortable researching
this subject on their own, or for
parents and children to explore
together.
Portraying sexuality as
something ‘disgusting’ can only
lead to even more confusion for
young people discovering their
own sexuality.
TEEN BOOK:
Welcome to
Sex: Your nosilly-questions
guide to
sexuality,
pleasure and
figuring it out
has divided
readers on
both sides of
the Tasman
since it was
published in
May.
There is no compulsion for
anyone to look at books on sexuality,
but they should be available
for those who (want to). I trust
the experience and expertise of
librarians to choose books that
will benefit young people and
strongly oppose the request of
one individual to make book
content decisions on behalf of
the rest of the community.
-E Claire Weir
Welcome to Sex should not be
in public libraries anywhere.
Children need a chance to grow
We want to hear your views
on the issues affecting life
in Selwyn
Send emails to:
barry@starmedia.kiwi
Letters may be edited or rejected at Star Media’s
discretion. Letters should be about 200 words.
A name, postal address and phone number should be
provided.
Please use your real name, not a nickname, alias, pen
name or abbreviation.
and mature into responsible
teenagers/young adults. I have
yet to meet a mature 8-year-old,
as the authors’ state, who has
the comprehension to read and
understand said book.
Leave the teaching of sex
education to parents. Schools
should not take the place of
parents without permission and
consent from parents first. I notice
Western Australia pulled the
book off shelves and only made
it available online.
-Denise Reynolds
Do ratepayers need to pay for
an education campaign for some
residents to explain how libraries
work?
If you don’t want you or your
children to read a book, don’t get
it out.
-Steph Pearce
THE TALK: Readers
are divided on
the presence of
Welcome to Sex
in public libraries,
with some saying
that parents need
to talk to their
children about sex
and sexuality.
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