Before I launch into my own opinions on this hot issue, let me put a disclaimer: I am in no way trying to offend any party in any way. I am a human being, and it is with my own mind that I form these opinions, consciously or subconsciously. Everyone will have their own opinions, whether they support or refute NLB's move to remove these children's books from their shelves. Please do not take offense from this post in any way.

First, let's put this into perspective; a little background: Earlier in July 2014 a netizen, Teo Kai Loon expressed his discomfort with two children's books that were available for loan in the national library: And Tango Makes Three and The White Swan Express. And Tango Makes Three depicts the story of two male penguins that raise a baby penguin from when it was still in its egg, successfully managing to hatch the egg and thereafter taking care of the young penguin as it grew. This book was adapted from a true story from one of the US zoos. The White Swan Express is the story of children who were adopted and by straight, gay, mixed race couples as well as a single mother. In this story the author creates distinct personal voices for the four sets of parents. Later on, a third book was announced to be removed by the NLB: Who's in My Family? All About Our Families. This book depicts families of various configurations, including those with heterosexual couples and homosexual couples. The book illustrates how no matter which family a child belongs to, its characteristics are essentially the same: that of care and support. The public announcement sparked a series of flak from netizens everywhere: through social media, blog posts, and there were even a number of petitions put up for the books to be reinstated into libraries, or to support the move by NLB.

I have personally signed the petition supporting the move to remove these books from libraries. Now before anyone says "WHY would you do that?" or "Is this some religious comeback?!" let me explain my own stand. Putting political and religious stands aside, let us look at some facts here. If you think about it, when you have two mothers instead of a mother and a father, then where would a child get his/her childhood hero from? Similarly, if a child is raised by two fathers, where would the undying concern and wonderful cooking come from? (I'm not saying that fathers cannot cook, it is just that children would find it weird that they are classified as an anomaly in relation to their parents, because instead of having heterosexual parents they have homosexual ones. The foundation of a child is built upon his/her parents.) Children who are raised by homosexual parents have no say in getting a proper "father" or "mother" because their fate was chosen for them. But I digress.

With what I said, a child's foundation stems from and is built upon his/her parents, as well as his/her early cognitive development. What a child is exposed to in his/her early years of life and education will ultimately lay the foundation for his/her own beliefs and values. Teo was right to have his concerns over these children's books because understandably he was worried that the underlying morals behind these books would alter or shake the values that the child's parents are trying so hard to imbue upon them. It is a valid concern, and we cannot deny that. Not all parents may feel comfortable with the idea of accepting LGBT morals and I feel that it was a right move on the NLB's part to remove this discomfort by destroying these books. If some parents feel that it is alright for their children to support the LGBT community then they can always teach them so by other means.

That said, though I agree that the books should be removed, I felt that perhaps banning the first book I mentioned, And Tango Makes Three, was going a tad bit too far. In the animal kingdom, it is not uncommon for the males to be taking care of the offspring once they are delivered (laid?). Penguins in particular are taken care by their male parents from when they are still within the egg, keeping them warm and walking with the young penguins after they've hatched. I don't feel that it is unusual, therefore, for male penguins to raise a young penguin because after all, male penguins do in fact take care of their offspring while female penguins go out to fish. But then again, we can never know how versatile and vivid a child's mind and imagination can be, and it is highly possible for them to link two male penguin parents to two male human parents, and that may make them think it's alright. So my stand remains that I support NLB's move. Such books are still a valid concern.

The other two books are definitely a concern to many parents. The White Swan Express and Who's In My Family? All About Our Families explicitly show that it is acceptable to have parents of different configurations and that it is perfectly normal to be raised by them. Again, some may think it's alright and acceptable, but a lot of other parents feel uncomfortable with their children thinking of homosexuality and homosexual parents as a normal societal phenomenon. Plus, Singapore being a highly conservative country, parents have even more cause for concern. NLB being a public platform, I feel that it is only right that they make the environment comfortable for people of all ethnicities and all beliefs. And no matter how much controversy this move may ignite, it is a bold and the right move for NLB to remove these children's books.

The notion of the LGBT community has always been an issue for hot debate, but I stand by my view that everyone should have the right to be exposed to the safest and most idiot-proof public platforms as much as possible. It would no doubt come as a shock to numerous parents if their child were to suddenly come home with newfound knowledge that hey, being a homosexual is okay, especially if the parents are dead against such an idea. Once again, please do not be offended by anything that I say here, because they are only my honest opinions and views based on my own personal background and I would like to lay them out somewhere. I do not mean any disrespect for any group of people so I seek your objectiveness on my post.