More thoughts on free speech and Rainbow story time

The free speech debate over Rainbow story time is somewhat different to the free speech debate over allowing guest speakers to speak at a venue, but the principles are similar.

First my personal view on Rainbow story time is that in NZ it is pretty harmless. My kids have been to a couple of them, and they enjoyed them. They were totally non-sexual and they are more akin to children’s pantomimes where leading female characters are often played by men for humorous effect.

But I understand that some people are worried about them. In the US there are instances of highly inappropriate drag shows and the like which are highly sexualised in front of children. But don’t assume that what happens in the US is the same as what is done in NZ. In fact anyone who did perform a sexualised show in front of children could face prosecution under our laws.

Now if you don’t like Rainbow story times in public libraries, you should have the right to lobby against them. There is a difference between these and a controversial guest speaker at a public venue.

If a public venue is being used just as a commercial venue for an outside organisation to host someone that people want to hear from, it is wrong to say that Councils should determine who can use their meeting halls on the basis of their personal preferences.

Rainbow storytime is slightly different. This is the Council hosting the activity directly. It is organised by Council staff and presumably any costs are met by the Council. People who think it is an inappropriate activity for a Council to organise and host should be able to lobby Councillors and ask for a different policy.

But if a Council has approved a Rainbow story time, then even if you disagree with their decision, you do not have the right to disrupt it and prevent it occurring, That prevents parents who do wish to have their kids attend what they see as harmless fun doing so. Conservatives should be very wary of deciding they know better than parents what their kids can attend.

If a Rainbow story-time was inappropriately sexualised, then it could potentially break the law and the correct response is to gather evidence and present it to the authorities. If you think the law is not strict enough, then you can lobby to change the law. But don’t use the thug’s veto to close down these events.