Cumberland Council overturns controversial same-sex parenting book ban after explosive meeting

A western Sydney council has voted to overturn its controversial ban on same-sex books in an explosive four-hour council meeting as protesters clashed outside.

A western Sydney council has voted to overturn its controversial ban on same-sex books in an explosive four-hour council meeting as protesters clashed outside.

A fortnight after a vote which saw Cumberland City Council ban same-sex books from its libraries, the council voted 12-2 in favour of reinstating children’s book Same-Sex Parents by Holly Duhig - which had previously sat in the library for five years and had only been borrowed once - and other same-sex books about 10.40pm.

But before the debate began at the council chambers on Wednesday, protesters clashed outside the Merrylands building, with the police called in an effort to separate groups rallying both in favour and against putting the book back into the council’s library.

Amid a heavy police presence that included the riot and dog squads blocking Memorial Ave, warring groups aggressively expressed their views.

The anti-book throng chanted “put the f----ts in the bin”, “leave the kids alone” and “who let the dogs out” while the rainbow group yelled “f--k off bigots, f--k off” and “we demand equal rights”.

The same-sex book ban has ignited a protest for and against at Cumberland Council.

LGBT+ group Equality Australia, which amassed more than 50,000 signatures on a petition calling for the ban to be reversed, addressed the chamber alongside 16 other speakers in the marathon council meeting, which saw multiple people ejected from the public gallery and dozens of interruptions to the speakers during the debate.

Hundreds of fired-up protesters continued to drown each other out with constant yelling. Those who supported the ban chanted “you can’t reproduce” while the pro-LGBT+ contingent retorted “shame, shame, shame”.

The same-sex book ban has ignited a protest for and against at Cumberland Council.

Former mayor Steve Christou, who pushed the original motion to ban same-sex books, on Wednesday brought forth an amendment for the material to be reinstated but moved to the adult non-fiction section, and that the council implement “procedures” to limit under-18s from accessing books which are not “age appropriate”.

The move was supported by councillor Eddy Sarkis who claimed his push to restrict access to same-sex books was “not an attack” on same-sex couples but about “the children” and not wanting to “push something on other people’s children”.

Cumberland councillor Steve Christou. Picture: Toby Zerna

“If a parent wants to borrow the book for their child, they can, but it should not be within reach of a two-year-old in this section of the library,” Mr Sarkis said.

“We cannot have toddlers asking questions of their parents who are not ready to be answering questions like this yet about gender, nonbinary.”

“I’m not saying ban the book or any book. but there is a place on the shelf for every book, the place for this book not in the children’s section.”

Labor councillor Sabrin Farooqui slammed the proposal. “I want my children to read it,” she said.

“It is a children’s book. This is the reality of Australia. It’s not council’s job to say which books should be here. Don’t use religion in everything. This is about democracy.”

Fellow Labor councillor Diane Colman said: “Misguided concerns about children’s safety should never be weaponised.’’

Cumberland Council Mayor Lisa Lake. Picture: Tim Hunter

“Weaponising children’s books in yet another culture war is denying knowledge, experience and professionalism of our librarians.”

They know what they are doing, I would rely on them to determine where books go than a councillor pushing his ideological agenda. By placing the book in the adult section, you are still censoring it.”

The initial ban on same-sex books made headlines nationally and saw the NSW government  threaten to withhold funding to the council, with Premier Chris Minns labelling the ban a “joke”.

Multiple councillors including Cr Christou, Cr Huang and Cr Hamed shared they had received death threats and abuse after news of the book ban went viral.

Mayor Lake urged those in the gallery to “sit in the gallery and be quiet” after repeated interruptions.

“I can’t run a meeting with you having a conversation across the public gallery, have you got that clear, otherwise I ask you to leave,” she told the crowd.

The meeting, which was slated to finish at 9pm, was further extended until 11pm, with several councillors erupting into shouting matches including Cr Christou and Cr Elmore after the latter called the proposed amendment “stupid”.

Same-Sex Parents by Holly Duhig.

After Cr Christou’s amendment was defeated, councillor Paul Garrard pushed another amendment to move just that specific book to the adult section, but it was also defeated, with supporters seen leaving the gallery.

Cr Elmore, addressing the meeting after the second amendment was defeated, called the situation a “national embarrassment”.

“This is not a council I want to live in if we need riot police to protect people, and this council’s reputation has been trashed,” he said.

“One book does not need to be a national issue, we’ve got other things to do. All we do for two weeks is argue about one book in one library, we need to do more.”

One Nation member Craig Kelly.

One Nation member Craig Kelly - who was at the meeting - said: “There was too much censorship in the country but the book should never have been placed in the children’s section.’’

“If this book was in the general section, I’m sure very few of us would be here tonight,” he said.

The move to reinstate the books was welcomed by Cumberland local Caroline Staples, who began a viral petition to overturn the book ban welcomed the move.

“Council has listened to local voices and united around the core value of ensuring all families feel welcome and that every child is given the chance to learn, grow and flourish,” Ms Staples said in a statement.