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.
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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]