Homophobic censorship of children’s books in Hong Kong libraries a big leap backwards

Reporting from Malaysia last month on the mood of artists under a new government promising a more open and tolerant society, I found most people to be optimistic. There, censor­ship has meant the banning of books, performances, artworks and even traditional cultural practices following complaints from religious fundamentalists about “un-Islamic” elements. Some of the most ludicrous decisions have seen bans on yoga (too Hindu) and a Singaporean ballet performance (“indecent”: tutus and tights).

On June 15, Christian pressure group Family School Sodo Concern Group (“Sodo” is short for Sexual Orientation Discrimination Ordinance, not sodomy) celebrated success­fully lobbying the Home Affairs Bureau to pull 10 children’s books off the shelves of public libraries because they contain LGBT themes and feature same-sex parents. This is the same group that last year objected to the fact that Disney’s 2017 film Beauty and the Beast – which has one gay character – was classified as suitable for all ages.