Estimated reading time: 18 minutes
The City of Albany Council will hold a special meeting of electors on Monday 26th August after a local activist group secured enough signatures to force the council to hear their concerns about the town’s recent Pride Festival, and books they’d like to have removed from the city’s libraries.
Warning: This story contains details which might be distressing for some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
The public notice for the meeting describes the purpose of the meeting as “to discuss the promotion of sexualising children in the City of Albany through unrestricted books in the Town Library and events held during the month of February 2024.”
The push for the special electors meeting has come from recently formed group Keeping Children Safe Albany and has been backed by local councilor Dr Thomas Brough and state parliamentarian Sophie Moermond.
The local LGBTIQA+ community has been dazed by a series of outlandish accusations about their gatherings and celebratory events.
Community Meeting airs calls for books to be removed from libraries, concern over youth twerking and accusations of “grooming groups”.
At a community meeting held at the Beryl Grant Community Centre on 29th July the group outlined their demands for the local council with Brough and Moermond giving presentations on their concerns
At the two-hour long meeting the group outlined their concerns about library books, sex education, board games, transgender people and twerking. While Dr Brough encouraged people to dive into the writing of controversial American author James A. Lindsay, playing clips of his speeches.
Dr Brough claimed that there had been a “long march through government, education, medical, media and cultural organisations” that have eroded traditional values.
The Liberal candidate for the upcoming state election warned of a generation of young people who will be a “flaming fury of social destruction.”
Calls for sex education books to be removed from local libraries
At the public meeting, led by former One Nation candidate Michelle Kinsella, attendees were told that the Keeping Children Safe were not “book burners” nor were they opposed to “age-appropriate sex education”.
Over the course of two hours Kinsella outlined they held grave concerns about a wide range of issues including books in the town’s library, mental health organisations, young people twerking, Dungeons and Dragons games, and events run as part of the local community’s Pride celebrations.
At the beginning of the meeting the discussion was largely focused on the books Welcome to Sex by Yumi Stynes and Dr Mellissa Kang, and Sex: A Book for Teenagers by Nikol Hasler.
Speaking to the audience Kinsella told attendees that the books were placed in the part of the library that could see the books picked up by toddlers who might learn about sexual practices.
“This should be R-rated, and it’s not. It’s in the toddler section of the library. I don’t want my children exposed to this.” Kinsella said, before saying that images in the books were akin to “grooming materials”
“With all child safeguarding practices, there should be frameworks in place. So children whilst they’re in that safe place of a library are protected. They should not be exposed to grooming materials.
“These books are grooming materials that are designed to normalise sex. When a child’s inhibitions are lowered. They are open to becoming sexually abused. It is easiest for predators, it’s easier for predators to prey on them.
“If you read any interviews, any studies that have been done with pedophiles and groomers, they will tell you one of the steps that they use is they introduce pornography and sexualised pictures to lower a child’s inhibition, and it’s part of the grooming process. That’s what these books are doing.” Kinsella said.
The group said they hoped they would be able to get the books they are concerned about removed from all libraries across the state.
Keeping Children Safe say transgender people have ‘taken over’ Pride organisations
Kinsella said the organisaton was not opposed to any part of the local community.
“We have been told, ‘You’re pride bashing, you’re against the LGBT community.’ This has got nothing to do with that. This has got to do with protecting our children from being sexualised. If there are people in the Pride community that want to sexualise our children – then we do have a problem with you.”
Kinsella said the group’s concerns were not about gay, lesbian and bisexual people, but their concerns focused on people from the transgender community.
“We feel that the trans community have hijacked an organisation and gone along an agenda of sexualising children and recruiting children.” Kinsella said.
The presenter continued with a series of photos purportedly from Pride events in Seattle and San Francisco that showed people performing sex acts in public and promoting what she described as fetish behaviour.
“Is this okay for our community standards?” Kinsella asked. “Is it okay for rate-payers to fund these events?”
Kinsella also shared her thoughts about transgender youth, saying they should be told they were perfect as they were.
“A lot of parents are getting conned by this ideology; they’re getting blackmailed and gaslit into believing that children are born in the wrong body.” Kinsella said.
Calls for age restrictions on twerking
The presentation turned to a Twerking workshop held during the city’s Pride Festival in February.
“Twerking, for those who don’t know, is actually a cultural dance. It comes from Africa, and it is a mating ritual. It’s a very sexy dance, and when you see it performed, it’s kind of a little bit like a dog getting ready for a bit of fun.”
“I don’t think children should be taught to dance like that.” Kinsella said, arguing that the dance should only be for people over the age of eighteen.
Concern was also raised about a nighttime event run by well-known Perth event promoter Spank.
“One of the big issues that we have is that sex for underage children is being normalized, the legal age of consent is sixteen plus. We have been to the police on two separate occasions, and we will be going back to the police again to lodge a complaint.” Kinsella said.
Despite the claims put forward by Kinsella the twerking workshop held during the Pride Festival and the Spank party were both for people over the age of eighteen. Spank is the name of the party organiser, their events involving the playing of disco music and dancing.
Concern that Dungeons and Dragons includes ‘role playing’ and local Games Nights are “grooming groups”
Another presenter voiced opposition to the council library holding a Game Night which is described for being for youth between 12 and 25.
“We have a concern about why things are being pushed for 12 to 25 year olds” they said arguing that people under the age of consent should not be invited to an event where older people will also be present.
Concern was also voiced about Albany Pride’s Transverse peer support social group for trans, non binary and gender diverse people. The group claimed that the peer meeting had been catering for people aged between 12-25, and that they had successfully lobbied for it to be restricted to people over the age of eighteen.
A spokesperson for Albany Pride has told OUTinPerth that the Transverse group has always been an adult group for people over the age of eighteen.
Kinsella said there should be concern that a Game Night would include the fantasy pen-and-paper game Dungeons and Dragons, because it involves role playing.
“What role is a 12 year old going to take on playing Dungeons and Dragons in a transgender community, LGBTIQA+, with a 25 year old man?” Kinsella said.
“We know that 30% of all child sex abuse is conducted by peers, it’s not the stranger danger down the road, it’s in these sorts of groups. These grooming groups.”
While the upcoming special electors meeting with the council is scheduled to be held at the council chambers, Kinsella said the group was encouraging as many people as possible to attend with the hope it would be moved to Retravision Stadium.
“We are going to flood that meeting Special Meeting of Electors with people from our community who say no, no more, no more grooming on our watch.”
Sophie Moemond MLC shares concern about young people being exposed to pornography
Sophia Moermond delivered a presentation calling for more education about giving consent and voiced concern that young people are being exposed to pornography and extreme sex acts at younger and younger ages.
“When we look at pornography in Australia, one in four young people first saw porn before the age of twelve. I’ve come across cases of boys eight, nine years of age, that have accessed porn on their device. And we are seeing an increase in younger sisters being raped at about age four or five or so.”
Moermond said young children were treating rape like playing “Cowboys and Indians”.
“They don’t know that’s wrong, they see something, they copy it, they act it out.” she said, before noting that access to pornography was also promoting the belief that sex should involve pain for women, and women saying no – will eventually change their mind if men persist.
Moermond said she was concerned about the “hyper-sexualisation” occurring in society voicing concern about the types of clothes available for young women in leading retailers
“It’s everywhere, the hyper sexualization of children in advertising, especially girls. Even when you look at clothes that they can buy in Target or Kmart.
“The girl’s shorts are very short. The T-shirts are often quite short as well, often crop tops.
“That normalization of sexualising children begins very early.” Moermond said.
Later in the evening during a Q&A session Moermond said people should be aware of LGB Alliance Australia, a group which argues that gay, lesbian and bisexual people should disassociate themselves from transgender and intersex people and activism.
Thomas Brough says the local community needs to act to avoid a “absolute flaming fury of social destruction”
Councillor Dr Thomas Brough reflected on the reaction to his comments about the LGBTIQA+ community potentially embracing “Minor Attracted People” describing himself as being in a “fox hole” in the “kill zone” of negative media attention.
Dr Brough said the local community should not be complacent about a changing society urging them to listen to the voices of Jordan Peterson, Douglas Murray, JK Rowling, Binary’s Kirralie Smith and Liberal senator Alex Antic.
“There’s something wrong with the primary institutions in our society.” Dr Brough said. “They may look the same outside. But inside they’ve been eaten out and replaced with a system which is in direct opposition to the values, which the institutions were built with.”
The councillor said a “long march” through key organsiations in government, media, medicine, and education had significantly changed society.
“The Long March through the institutions is a concept. It describes a gradual infiltration of key societal institutions by certain ideologues. This concept sort of outlines how proponents of critical theory of gender theory of queer theory of post colonial theory have embedded themselves in education in media, and government, and cultural organizations.
“Over decades, this has shifted societal norms and values from within promoting radical ideals, while marginalizing traditional viewpoints. The process has resulted in a profound transformation of our institutions, leading to a shift in cultural and political and social spheres, often without explicit public consent, or awareness.” Dr Brough said.
“This is wokeism.” Dr Brough declared before playing a clip of US author James A Lindsay who claimed that “wokeism targets the innocence of children.” The clip is taken from an episode of his podcast titled “Groomer Schools”.
Dr Brough said the Australian Library and Information Association had followed a path of trying to remove traditional values.
Highlighting a 2021 journal article by Bethany McAuliffe titled Queer Identities, Queer Content and Library Classification: Is ‘Queering the Catalogue’ the Answer? Dr Brough said it was evidence that libraries had actively worked to increase queer content in their collections. Dr Brough also cited the work of Emily Dubinsky who has written about “queering the catalogue”.
The Liberal candidate and councilor said from libraries to local activists there had been a significant impact on the local community.
“All this division, if we don’t act, will create a destabilized population of children prone to mental illness. And they will go on to create an absolute flaming fury of social destruction in the name of social and emotional learning.” Dr Brough declared.
Dr Brough also noted that the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has received 27 complaints about his recent statements. Earlier in his speech as he decried the death of traditional values and described complaints about his comments as proof that societal standards had been swept away.
“We are almost there. Where a group, a small group of activists versed in grievance politics can try to deprive a regional town of their health workforce out of ideological spite.” Dr Brough said.
“My experience as your local government counselor demonstrates how even questioning certain concepts can lead to severe professional consequences in the medical field.
“The disproportionate response to my inquiry about minor attracted persons included workplace investigations, threats of expulsion from professional bodies, and numerous complaints to regulatory boards.
“This suggests an environment where there are certain topics that are considered off limits for discussion even when you approach them in good faith.” Dr Brough said.
During the Q&A session Dr Brough said he’d also been supported by LGB Alliance Australia, and he’d been impressed by their stance of not wanting to be associated with “transgressive ideologies”.
Transfolk of WA describe the push for a Special Meeting of Electors as “fearmongering”
A spokesperson for Transfolk of WA, a peer support service for transgender people and their loved ones, said elected representatives should be focusing on the real challenges facing Western Australians.
“The anti-LGBTQIA+ and anti-trans fringe are wasting their time and the time of our elected representatives with their hateful agenda, distracting from the real concerns of West Australians who face real health and cost of living challenges.
“The equal rights of trans people in this country enjoys broad support from everyday Australians. We all have the same right to live our lives safely without harassment.
“In Australia we are lucky to have the freedom to think and express ourselves. The suggestion that we need to start banning books is as banal as it is laughable. This fearmongering should be disregarded out of hand. This is a desperate tactic from an out of touch fringe grasping for relevance through shallow controversy.” the spokesperson said.
Who is Michelle Kinsella?
Kinsella was previously a candidate for One Nation at the 2021 state election. She was previously a beautician. Prior to joining One Nation Kinsella stood several times for the Informed Medical Option Party (IMOP), and was with the party when they operated under their former name the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party.
Appearing on a video podcast earlier this year Kinsella said Keeping Children Safe Albany had been receiving guidance from Queensland activist Bernard Gaynor. In recent times Gaynor has campaigned for the removal of several books from circulation in Australia.
Gaynor has previously been a political candidate for the Bob Katter party, and also stood for the short-lived right wing party Australian Liberty Alliance. He previously told OUTinPerth that he is in favour of homosexuality being made illegal.
Who is Dr Thomas Brough?
Dr Thomas Brough made national headlines earlier this year when he suggested that the plus symbol used to represent LGBTIQA+ communities might also embrace pedophiles described as “Minor Attracted People”.
His comments were widely condemned and he later gave an apology saying he was not voicing his views but an issue raised with him by concerned constituents.
Shortly after the controversy Councillor Brough, who is an emergency department doctor, was selected to be the Liberal party’s candidate for Albany at the 2025 state election, but senior Liberal party members have distanced themselves from his views.
Brough’s council colleagues later ordered him to attend training on respectful and inclusive workplaces, but he refused to attend, describing it as being akin to “forced re-education” and “thought de-programming” used by military dictatorships in North Korea, China or Russia.”
Albany Pride says Dr Brough’s comments are deeply offensive
Albany Pride responded to the councilor’s refusal to attend the training session saying his comparison of a training course similar to the type found in thousands of workplaces across the country to conversion therapy practices and military dictatorships was “deeply offensive”
“Brough’s resulting outrage seems manufactured and overly dramatised, given he has almost certainly received similar annual mandatory training in his role in public health.” the local LGBTIQA+ group said in a statement.
“Brough likening this to conversion therapy and a military dictatorship is deeply offensive to anyone who has lost loved ones to, or survived, either. Clearly his previous “apology” for the hurt he has caused was hollow and devoid of any intent to avoid further harm.”
The group said the councilors comments and refusal to abide by the recommendation of his council colleagues undermined community faith in the council.
“It is important for the community to have confidence in the processes designed to hold Council representatives to account, and transparency is paramount in ensuring the integrity of the Council as an organisation.
“This must be highly embarrassing for the Mayor and the council and we are looking forward to seeing what the Council’s next steps are to address his ongoing inflammatory and divisive comments, and to manage his blatant and public disrespect for the formal Council processes.” Albany Pride said.
Who is Sophia Moermond?
Sophia Moermond MLC previously spoke about her opposition to the affirmation model transgender healthcare when she appeared on the steps of the WA parliament alongside British provocateur Kellie Jay-Keen.
At the time Moermond was a member of the Legalise Cannabis Party, and said she realised that voicing her anti-transgender views would probably “political suicide. Her views on the issue of transgender healthcare are diametrically in opposition to those of Dr Brian Walker, the party’s other elected representative.
In May Moermond announced she had quit the party and would continue as an independent. It was later revealed that he anti-trangender views had led to party members bumping her to the unwinnable fifth spot on their senate ticket for the 2025 state election.
Who is James A. Lindsay
The US based Southern Poverty Law Centre classifies Lindsay as an extremist who regularly shares conspiracy theories about a communist takeover of the world. He regularly promotes “groomer” rhetoric against the LGBTIQA+ communities and spreads the “white genocide” theory which claims Marxists are attempting to eradicate the white race.
Lindsay made headlines around the world in 2022 when he claimed drag queens and people who are transgender were trying to get themselves killed to create a martyr for the transgender rights movement. He dubbed the alleged plot as “Drag Floyd” referencing George Floyd whose death had propelled the Black Lives Matter movement.
In previous comments Lindsay has described the Pride flag as “the flag of a hostile enemy”, and one multiple occasions he’s referenced a Biblical passage calling for people to be put to death.
“When I look at what’s going on with the Queer activist cult and children, I really, really hope that millstones part of the Gospel is true.” Lindsay posted to Twitter in January 2023, making reference to Mathew 18:6.
Do you need some support?
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available from:
QLife: 1800 184 527 / qlife.org.au (Webchat 3pm – midnight)
QLife are a counselling and referral service for LGBTQIA+ people.
DISCHARGED: info@discharged.asn.au / discharged.asn.au
Discharged is a trans-led support service with peer support groups for trans and gender diverse folks.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 / lifeline.org.au
Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 / www.beyondblue.org.au
Update: 9:53am 5-08-24 Additional comment clarifying the age restrictions on Transverse group was added to improve clarity.
