Council overturns controversial book ban on same-sex parents

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A western Sydney council has voted to overturn a controversial ban on a children's book about same-sex parents. Police were called in and members of the gallery were kicked out during an hours-long debate at the Cumberland City Council meeting.

Transcript

00:00 Council meetings don't usually draw a crowd.

00:03 (CHANTING)

00:05 But a lot of people wanted to be heard.

00:08 This ban does nothing to protect children

00:11 or support our families in Cumberland.

00:13 Two weeks after pulling a children's book about same-sex parents

00:17 from the toddler section of Cumberland Libraries,

00:20 riot police watched over this fiery council meeting.

00:23 (CHANTING)

00:25 A packed public gallery interjected a long line of public speakers.

00:29 LGBTQI supporters urged the council to overturn the book ban.

00:34 Conservative constituents pushed for it to stay.

00:38 (CHANTING)

00:40 Councillors argued until almost 11pm.

00:43 Ultimately, the decision was overturned, 12 votes to 2,

00:48 returning the book to the shelves.

00:50 Councillor Steve Christou, who initiated the book ban,

00:53 and his colleague Paul Garrard,

00:55 tried but failed to have the book moved to the adult section of the library.

01:00 Many of the councillors who voted for the ban switched sides.

01:04 There's plenty of time for them to address these issues,

01:07 but not at the age of two. That was the whole point.

01:09 That wasn't a very sensible debate.

01:11 Closing the book, at least for now,

01:14 on a divisive chapter of the council's work.

01:17 (CHANTING)

01:19 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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