hundreds turned out to the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night where tensions surged over books in The District Library addressing lgbtq plus topics voices from both sides spoke out during the marathon meeting that lasted well past midnight as the board was set to vote on a motion that would temporarily pull some of the books in question off the shelves the event mirrored a controversy playing out Across the Nation Librarians warning of censorship parents calling for more rights as police stand guard to keep the peace senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports the point is being exposed to pornography that is the issue here public commentary reached a fever pitch at a Roxbury Board of Education meeting where some 80 speakers signed up to debate Banning books at the high school library protesters waived signs showing illustrations from lgbtq themed books calling it pornography and demanding the board order them off the shelves children's books like genderqueer blankets let's talk about it and fun home all have explicit cartoons and stomach turning descriptions of minors engaging oral sex rape and kink it's overtly pornographic it is pandering obscenity to a minor it is sexual exploitation of a child and you are guilty of it if you keep it but right to read Advocates argued students need books that discuss more than one point of view our kids need access truth and support not hate and denial please reject any and all proposals that would give them anything less There's No lgbtq Agenda there is no trans agenda other than keeping our children alive I implore the board to uphold the rights of families and students here in Roxbury and not to be bullied by a vocal minority the raucous six-hour hearing Drew cheers jeers and heckling from the emotionally charged crowd especially for Roxbury School librarian Roxanna kaivano Ivano fought to block books from being banned last fall and she sued four School parents for defamation over toxic exchanges the librarian again defended her decision to keep books on the shelves that is what a school library is for free access the books are there so students can find complete information not just one side of the story no one is sneaking around the library looking for books with pictures in them for fun they have those for that it is a way that they can learn about themselves about the people around them and about how the world is and maybe if you created a better environment with your children they would be able to have these discussions with you the board reported that a special committee's already decided to return one challenged book genderqueer to library shelves the other one let's talk about it is behind the librarian's desk and requires parental permission for students to read meanwhile the library committee is establishing a new policy based on literary merit to determine whether books can remain in circulation how to define that questionable content is not the main message but ads are contributes to the story or the theme the policy is still under review but after midnight one board member moved to immediately take nine more books off the shelves with that have these explicit images in them put them to the side temporarily let the committee do its thing let's finish what we set out to do but in the meantime just have these off to the side but board policy requires books to be formally challenged before any action can be taken and nobody had bothered to challenge those books the motion failed six to four I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news [Music]