Yumi Stynes reveals alleged death and rape threats over her sex book for teens as NSW Police charge man, 23
- 23-year-old arrested over alleged online threats
- Stynes received criticism over sex book
A man has been charged with threatening media personality Yumi Stynes, following the backlash over her book on sex which is aimed at young people.
On Friday, officers from Leichhardt Police Area Command, in Sydney‘s inner-west, launched an investigation over the alleged online threats to the 48-year-old.
‘Following inquiries, a 23-year-old man was arrested at Balmain Police Station [on Friday],’ NSW Police said in a statement.
The man was then taken to Newtown Police Station, where he was charged with one count of use carriage service to menace/harass/offend.
He was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on August 11.
A 23-year-old man has been charged over alleged threats against media personality Yumi Stynes
Stynes had earlier posted multiple screenshots to Instagram showing alleged rape and death threats she had received since the release of her book, Welcome to Sex: Your no-silly-questions guide to sexuality, pleasure and figuring it all out.
Yumi Stynes co-authored the sex education book aimed at young people with Sydney doctor Melissa Kang
Stynes’s book, which she co-authored with Sydney doctor Melissa Kang, has been at the centre of a furious row since it was published in May.
The book was this week blasted by Rachael Wong, chief executive of conservative organisation Women’s Forum Australia, who labelled it a ‘graphic sex guide for children’.
‘For those saying the book is sex education, there is a huge difference between giving children age-appropriate information, and prematurely exposing them to graphic, highly sexualised material,’ Wong told the SMH.
Big W has pulled the book from its physical stores after its staff reportedly received abuse from members of the public. It is still selling the book online.
On Friday, Stynes called out Channel 10 for not giving her any work in recent years, blaming her absence from TV screens on an off-hand comment she made about war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith
Stynes appeared on Channel 10’s The Project on to discuss the backlash she has received from the book.
Some of those real world consequences include the fact I’m not on television any more,’ she claimed on The Project on Friday.
‘Since that controversy around a comment I made around Ben Roberts-Smith, Channel 10 hasn’t given me one paid job aside some appearance on some show one time.
‘So real world consequences? Yes. People threatening my life? Yes.
‘There was a guy in the supermarket today. I was buying strawberries for my kids and I kept checking over my shoulder wondering if he was going to smack me over the back of the head – which is entirely possible.’
Stynes called out Channel 10 on Friday for refusing to give her work in recent years
Stynes was hosting Channel 10’s now cancelled show The Circle in 2012 when she commented on a photo of Roberts-Smith shirtless by a pool.
‘Hello! Look at that physique! He’s going to dive down to the bottom of the pool and see if his brain is there,’ she said at the time.
Stynes said on Friday she supported Big W’s decision to remove the book from its shelves in-store.
‘No retail worker deserves to be in danger just for showing up and doing their minimum wage job, to be honest,’ she said.
‘If that’s what it took to keep retail workers safe then I supported it.’
The book, which sells for $16, contains detailed explanations on sexual activities including oral sex, anal sex, masturbation, porn, sexuality and gender identity.
Despite controversy, the book was Amazon’s best seller on Friday.
