Removing ‘anti-family’ books sends wrong message to our youth

The decision to remove a volume of the Archie comic, due to its depiction of same-sex marriage between two characters, disappointed me. (“Archie comic removed due to ‘breach of content guidelines’”; July 17)

In a way, it goes against the globalised outlook that Singapore is trying to portray.

The issue of same-sex marriage and relationships is a touchy one here, one that creates controversy and discomfort among Singaporeans. However, I believe banning “anti-family” books and comics is not the way to approach the subject.

Singapore is a unique country — a melting pot of races, cultures and religions. We give equal importance to all festivals and viewpoints. We should not marginalise what is becoming a significant aspect of global society.

This is not a petition to legalise gay marriage. But pulping books and barring comics with same-sex relationships sends the wrong message to society and the young. We are limiting the freedom of reasonable expression.

What we should do is flag these books as promoting such relationships, educate society about the books and leave it to the discretion of Singaporeans to read or buy them.

Destroying or removing the books may give our youth the idea that same-sex marriages are evil. More than adults, it is the youth of our generation who will increasingly face such issues when they are in the global society. Through such actions, we risk raising our youth to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation.

This is not to discredit or be harsh about the choices the Government must make; it is to offer the other point of view and an alternative that can, I hope, reconcile the views of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the rest.