Children’s sex ed book pulled from shelves after anti-LGBTQIA+ conspiracy theorists’ campaign

Booksellers have pulled a popular sex education book from their shelves to protect staff from further abuse after a month-long campaign by Australian anti-LGBTQIA+ conspiracy theorists was amplified in the mainstream media.

On Tuesday, BIG W confirmed that it had removed Dr Melissa Kang and Yumi Stynes’ book Welcome to Sex: Your no-silly-questions guide to sexuality, pleasure and figuring it out from its physical shelves after “multiple incidents of abuse”. The department store continues to stock the book online.

The book, sold as a “frank, age-appropriate introductory guide to sex and sexuality for teens of all genders”, first became a target of conspiracy theorists in June. 

Diana Aboud is a Sydney-based, Catholic anti-LGBTQIA+ campaigner who has thousands of followers across Telegram, Facebook and Instagram under various account names including “Mummas Roar”, “Protect our Kids” and “The Faithful Alliance”.

On June 20 she began posting about the book appearing in stores. Posting photographs of pages from the book featuring information about gender identity and sexual acts, Aboud called for her followers to send complaints to BIG W and Target. “This book should be illegal!!!!” she wrote.

Despite claiming that Target had pulled the book from its shelves in June, both a Target spokesperson and Stynes told Crikey at the time that this was not the case. She told Crikey that the book, which has been review bombed since the campaign started, is now sold out on Amazon and BIG W has ordered more stock.

While this campaign continued to circulate in online conspiracy communities for the best part of a month, mainstream outlets seized upon it following a viral video about the book posted by an anti-vaccine, climate-denying conspiracy theorist podcaster who was charged in 2021 for allegedly impersonating a police officer on TikTok.

On Monday, Christian Spicer, whose online nom de plume is “Primod”, posted a video claiming that the book was proof of the “LGBT+ agenda coming after kids”, as part of his pivot to publishing anti-LGBTQIA+ content. 

The clip was picked up on Tuesday by 2GB’s Ben Fordham, who called on stores stocking the book to “take it off their shelves” in an interview with Rachael Wong, CEO of conservative women’s group Women’s Forum. Other conservative outlets such as Sky News Australia and the Daily Mail Australia followed up on the story. 

Like their international counterparts, Australia’s anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown freedom movements have pivoted to spreading conspiracy theories about the LGBTQIA+ community as vaccines and COVID-19 restrictions faded from relevance. These figures and groups fearmonger about children being “groomed” by LGBTQIA+ groups or share misinformation about sex and gender education. And, in cases like Christian Lives Matter protesters, have resorted to vandalism and violence. 

When BIG W removed the book from its physical stores out of concern for its staff’s wellbeing, Wong celebrated the decision: “THANK YOU & well done to everyone who contacted them about this!” she tweeted, before personally tagging Spicer with a “big thanks”.