Court Orders Review of Explicit Sexual Content in Book’s Accessibility to Young Readers
The action was filed by conservative Christian commentator Bernard Gaynor.
Brisbane father and conservative commentator, Bernard Gaynor, successfully petitioned the court to have the classification of the explicit sex book Gender Queer reviewed by authorities.
Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe, is an illustrated graphic novel based on the author’s sexual explorations and includes references to gender identities and sexual interactions.
The book also features an illustration where the author fantasizes about an ancient Greek-style artwork depicting a man and boy engaged in intercourse.
Since its release in 2019, Gender Queer has received awards, but has faced criticism for introducing explicit content to younger audiences.
Gaynor took legal action in the Federal Court of Australia against the minister for communications to have the book’s classification reviewed.
Court Acknowledges Overlooked Complaints
On Oct. 14, the court ruled that the book’s unrestricted classification should be reassessed after finding that the Australian Classifications Review Board had disregarded or missed public submissions calling for censorship.
Following the Board’s initial review in 2023, the book maintained an unclassified status with a recommendation for readers aged 15 and older.
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Gaynor’s barrister Bret Walker SC argued that the Board dismissed numerous critical submissions of Gender Queer assuming they were predominantly “anti-LGBTQIA+.”
However, Justice Ian Jackman found that the majority of submissions were focused on the graphic nature and depictions within the book rather than its LGBTQ content.
Out of 576 submissions concerning Gender Queer, only 66 opposed the book due to its LGBT content.
Gaynor’s Reaction
In response, Gaynor expressed satisfaction with the ruling and hoped that the book would ultimately be removed from Australian shelves as some libraries have already done.
Gaynor indicated that the court’s decision requires the title to be taken out of all public libraries and stores until a new classification is determined.
“The Minister for Communications [Michelle Rowland] should closely evaluate her classification authorities,” he told The Epoch Times.
The Epoch Times reached out to the minister’s office and Review Board for comment.
