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24 votes
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How I taught the Iliad to Chinese teenagers
19 votes -
US District Judge blocks Arkansas law allowing librarians to be criminally charged over ‘harmful’ materials
50 votes -
Sex education book 'Welcome to Sex' is a best-seller, but has been pulled off one Australian retailer's shelves after a conservative backlash, including death threats against one of the authors
‘Taking a leaf out of Trumpism’: Yumi Stynes on the ‘misguided’ backlash to sex book The book has been criticised by campaigners including Rachael Wong, the chief executive of Women’s Forum...
The book has been criticised by campaigners including Rachael Wong, the chief executive of Women’s Forum Australia, an organisation critical of pro-trans activism. Speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Tuesday, Wong called it a “graphic sex guide for children”, adding that she felt “physically ill at the thought of children reading it”. Other conservative media figures have amplified the criticism.
“This book was a response to genuine questions asked by adolescents to [magazine column] ‘Dolly Doctor’ for more than 20 years. [Dr Melissa Kang, one of the co-writers], was exposed to what kids were too ashamed to ask anyone else.”
Critics have taken particular issue with small sections of the book that address inclusive sexual practices beyond penetrative sex, including “fingering”, “oral sex”, “scissoring”, and “anal sex”.
They are also critical of the inclusion of what they term “gender ideology”. Others are accusing the authors of “grooming” children – a term that is increasingly misused.
The backlash has been so intense Big W stopped selling the book in-store after staff members were abused, although the retailer has defended it and it remains available online.
"I've seen people saying to me 'I want to kill you' or 'You should die'," Stynes told SBS News.
72 votes -
Con-men are flooding Kindle with AI children's books. They could do permanent damage to childhood literacy.
52 votes -
The real Lord of the Flies: What happened when six boys were shipwrecked for fifteen months
32 votes -
"Pyke notte thy nostrellys." A 15th-century guide on children's manners has been digitized for first time
10 votes -
A Missouri bill intended to bar libraries from stocking “age-inappropriate sexual material” for children could land librarians who refuse to comply with it in jail
15 votes -
How do you turn kids into bookworms? All ten children's laureates share their tips
7 votes -
Growing up in a house full of books is major boost to literacy and numeracy, study finds
15 votes -
The grand old tradition of gaming at the library
6 votes