Singapore
(AFP) - A censorship row in Singapore escalated Wednesday when judges of a
literary prize quit over the national library's plans to destroy three
children's books deemed to be pro-homosexual.
In a
statement, the three judges of the non-fiction category of the biennial
Singapore Literature Prize condemned a National Library Board (NLB) decision
last week to pulp three titles that went against its "pro-family"
stance.
"We
condemn in the strongest terms NLB's decision to remove and destroy these
books, given that it is responsible for the dissemination of information rather
than its destruction," said T. Sasitharan, Romen Bose, and Robin Hemley.
The trio
are prominent figures in Singapore's small but vocal arts and literary
community. The Singapore Literature Prize is considered the city-state's most
prestigious writing award.
The
state-funded NLB last week confirmed that three titles would be destroyed
following complaints by a parent and an internal review.
They
include "And Tango Makes Three" -- a true story about two male
penguins in a New York zoo that raised a baby penguin -- and "The White
Swan Express", which features children adopted by straight, gay,
mixed-race and single parents.
The third
book, "Who's In My Family", discusses different types of families,
including references to gay couples.
The
decision to destroy the books was supported by Singapore's information minister
Yaacob Ibrahim, who said the NLB was "guided by community norms"
which do not support teaching children about "alternative, non-traditional
families".
Singaporean
writers however slammed the NLB for partaking in "book burning" and
censorship.
Some 400
people including parents gathered at a library branch on Sunday to read the
banned books to their children as a show of protest.
A group of
writers scheduled to speak at an NLB event on Sunday about humour also pulled
out in protest.
In the
statement Wednesday, the three judges said the planned destruction of the books
was "bigoted and sets a very worrying precedent that it is acceptable to
discriminate against anyone who may hold differing values and opinions".
The move
was "unbecoming of an institution entrusted to protect and preserve
learning and literature and to provide accessibility to information," they
added.
The books
episode has sharpened the split between Singapore's religious conservatives and
its growing gay-rights lobby, which staged a peaceful rally attended by more
than 20,000 people on June 28.
Sex between
men is illegal in Singapore and punishable by up to two years in jail under a
provision in the penal code dating back to British colonial rule.
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