Dear TRS,
I am gay and I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for four years now. We are a young couple in our mid-twenties with good educational backgrounds, stable jobs and a close group of friends, gay and straight, who have accepted us for who we are and into their lives.
We were overseas last weekend when my boyfriend read to me the news about NLB censoring children books which has incurred the wrath of many whom has since called for a widespread petition.
The first thought which struck me was not how unfair and ridiculous the censorship was. Rather, I was bewildered that such books even existed in the first place, and that it was allowed to be published as a child's reading material. I debated and questioned my boyfriend on the intention of the authors - why children books?
A child is like a blank piece of paper. It is up to the parents, society and environment to mould the child. As if life isn't complicated enough, why is there a need to educate children at such a tender age about gay and lesbian couples raising a family together? We often say that we are born who we are, that we can't choose whether to be gay or straight. Whilst we fight for our rights, we should not use this as an excuse to justify why a child of 4 to 6 should understand our plight when they should be indulging in fairy tales.
Though I wish that one day, there will be freedom to love and gays and lesbians will be treated with fairness and equality, I do not agree that this agenda should be mooted via children books.
Put down your ballooning gay pride and think. Children books are simply the wrong platform to discuss about homosexuality. For those who are condemning NLB for the censorship, I urge you to wage your war and bring your drama elsewhere. Leave the kids alone.
Black Hawk
TRS Contributor