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Should books like this be allowed to be sold?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Recently i found out about a book being sold on Amazon called 'A parents guide on how to prevent homosexuality'. Which personally i think shouldn't be allowed to be sold.
After looking at the comments i saw a lot of people agreed with me saying how disgusting it was and how Amazon shouldn't be selling it.
But what does everyone else think, should it be made illegal for books like this promoting homophobia to be sold? or should companies like Amazon just not sell it because of moral reasons?
After looking at the comments i saw a lot of people agreed with me saying how disgusting it was and how Amazon shouldn't be selling it.
But what does everyone else think, should it be made illegal for books like this promoting homophobia to be sold? or should companies like Amazon just not sell it because of moral reasons?
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Comments
But if i worked for amazon i dont think i could let it be up for sale
I think if people are outraged about this book, then they won't buy it. If people are closed minded enough to want to buy this book, then I don't think purchasing the book or not would make any bit of difference to their views. In all likelihood this book is completely full of shit, ie how would you prevent homosexuality anyway?
I'm a big advocate of gay rights, and although a find a book such as this completely abhorrent, I think the extra publicity generated by banning this book, would lead to the kind of people who would buy it, finding out about it more easily, and likely seeing it out from other retailers.
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I think there's a strong case for trading standards to be involved - this book appears to pass itself off as a scholarly work that will allow you to prevent homosexuality in your offspring, when in face it is a guide backed by an an American right-wing Christian publishing house on how to train effeminate boys to modify that behaviour.
I also think there's a case for those who are misrepresented to sue the author.
Censorship is very, very rarely justified and never because we don't like a books message
That said I disagree with Carriage Return - censorship should be done less by the state and more by the populace by not buying books and if they feel strongly not shopping at those places which stock them. I'd have no problem with Amazon refusing to stock it because it's made a commercial decision at the risk of having a backlash; I'd be totally against them not stocking it because the state has ordered them not to.
Without reading it, I can only assume this is marketed as a manual of some sort. Unless it actively preaches discrimination against gay people you'd have a hard time getting it banned anyway. I'd argue that whilst disgusting, trying to prevent your kids from being gay wouldn't be classed as active discrimination, just morally wrong and misguided.
As much as I loathe this book and ones like it, I agree. I used to work in bookselling (for about 8 years) and would have been horrified if we were specifically instructed to censor. We sold Mein Kampf to students studying fascism (and, I assume, probably also to some mad fascists) and Richard Littlejohn to idiots. I'd prefer not to, but it's not my right to say what people can or can't read.
I did, however, used to go to Christian bookshops and slip cards for LGBT-friendly Christian groups into the books that advocated "curing" gay people.
I also would echo G-Raffe's point about banning just giving the issue more publicity and allowing the idiots who write and buy these books a bigger platform.
Interestingly, I think there is at least one case where a couple have been prevented from adopting / fostering because of their views on homosexuality. I'll look it up.
Edit: here
I'm assuming the book is aimed at birth parents, but good point.
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3O3Z9RE0WBRBA/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R3O3Z9RE0WBRBA
I know taking the book off sale wouldn't really stop parents who think this is the right thing to do, but amazon selling it does feel like they justify it to an extent.
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The only people who are likely to buy this book are the people who think that homosexuality is an illness that can be cured. Stopping books like this being on sale wont change that. We need to get to the stage where we can educate people and change them so nobody would ever want to buy this book, not just ban the book.
:yes: