10 Jul 2014

Singapore National Library Board withdraws LGBT children's books

 

Two books for kids that feature LGBT characters and same-sex parenting have been banned from Singapore's public libraries after complaints from an anti-gay group.

A member of the anti-LGBT Facebook group, 'We are Against Pinkdot in Singapore', reportedly wrote to complain about two publications in the city's libraries, And Tango Makes Three and the White Swan Express.

And Tango Makes Three features a male penguin couple that adopt a baby penguin in a New York zoo, whilst the White Swan Express explores adoption by a number of people, including a lesbian couple. 

In responding to the complaint by Teo Kai Loon, the chief librarian wrote the following response, that was posted on the 'We are Against Pinkdot in Singapore' Facebook page:

'Thank you for your email. I would like to assure you that NLB takes a strong pro-family stand in selecting books for children. We take a cautious approach in identifying titles for our young visitors. Besides going through the contents, we also refer to synopses, reviews and other books written by the authors.

'We have withdrawn the books Tango Makes Three and the White Swan Express following your feedback.'

Pink Dot festival in Singapore took place just two weeks ago in a celebration of freedom and diversity, despite opposition from a number of religious groups. 

You can watch an animation of and Tango Makes Three below.