A controversial ban on same-sex parenting books at libraries in part of western Sydney has been overturned.
The decision from Cumberland city councillors followed a marathon late-night meeting after large crowds of rival protesters clashed outside the council chambers.
There was a heavy police presence as the competing protests ensued. On one side, the group Pride in Protest rallied against the book ban with signs that said things like “Hate is not a family value”.
On the other side, protesters in support of the ban held signs reading “leave the kids alone”.
Inside the chambers, a meeting on the issue went on for more than four hours, with reports that the sound of yelling and chanting could be heard from outside.
Ultimately, a 13-2 vote from councillors on the Wednesday night went in favour of revoking the ban, and saw an attempt to rid the community of LGBTQI+ literature squashed.
The initial book ban received widespread backlash after it was introduced two weeks ago, in a motion put forward by former mayor Steve Christou, who argued against a book he alleged had gotten “really disturbing” complaints from parents. The book in question is called A Focus On: Same-Sex Parents by Holly Duhig.
Following the contentious ban, the book’s publisher, BookLife Publishing, offered readers a free download of the book to “always provide children with the information, support, understanding and context to help them make sense of the world around them”.
Online petition with tens of thousands of signatures had also circulated in support of revoking Cumberland’s book ban.
During the council’s Wednesday night meeting, Cumberland grandmother Caroline Staples presented councillors with two petitions totalling over 50,000 signatures, saying more than 2200 were from the council area.
One of the petitions was organised through Equality Australia and was signed by more than 41,000 people.
“Rainbow families are part of all our communities,” Staples said, addressing support for same-sex parented families to Cumberland councillors.
In the final vote, the only councillors to oppose the book ban were Christou and Councillor Eddy Sarkis.
Staples said she has “been overwhelmed by the volume and diversity of support for reversing the ban and I would like to thank every single person who signed the petition to ensure the children of rainbow families are seen and feel safe.”
Australian Library and Information Association ALIA CEO Cathie Warburton said the councillors’ decision to revoke the book ban has helped ensure “the library can continue to serve its community with a representative and rich collection”.
“Public libraries are for the whole community. As the outpouring of support has shown, the general Australian public strongly supports people’s freedom to choose what to read.”
Amidst the book ban controversy, many advocates worried the arguments in support of the ban here in Australia were faring too closely to worrying trends in the United States.
According to a recent report from PEN America, there’s been an “unprecedented” surge in book bans during the latter half of 2023. And the American Library Association (ALA) reports that more books were banned in 2023 in US schools and libraries than any other year, with many of the books targeted because they related to issues of LGBTQ+ communities or race.
Australia has seen an increase in book challenges as well, according to the Australian Library and Information Association, where community members try to remove certain books from library shelves.
Addressing the Cumberland sage, Warburton says the ALA is “committed to intellection freedom” and that “access to information and culture is a fundamental prerequisite to a healthy democratic society”.