Town fires librarian who worked there for 11 years because she refused to remove LGBTQ+ books
Town fires librarian who worked there for 11 years because she refused to remove LGBTQ+ books
“The dumbing down of America is evident in the slow decay of substantive content, a kind of celebration of ignorance.”
Carl Sagan
thanks, sagan ;) what a cool guy
At a board meeting in October, one angry resident claimed her personal survey of the teen section revealed 60% of the books were “witchcraft.” Another said Gillette’s library had become an “indoctrination center.”
No one should listen to these lunatics. Sadly, they make it imperative that we pay very. Lose attention.
As an outsider I'm always amazed at that "land of the free" that is insistent on censoring stuff, and "home of the brave" that will run through the mud someone standing for freedom and having principles.
As someone born and raised here. It was always do as I say not as I do propaganda. America has been one of the most bigoted arrogant countries of the last 100 years.
Reposting my comment from a while ago, with some edits:
The library I work at has had Moms for Liberty attend several meetings demanding we withdraw books that are against their beliefs, no specific titles, just a general demand. This would include anything on LGBTQ+, children’s books with rainbows, our Banned Books display, and anything promoting voting and civics education. More recently, they want us to stop holding some events, including adult focused events about race relations in the Midwest, and we should no longer host any programs funded by State and Federal grants. Lastly, they have said we need to stop allowing the staff from joining ALA or the state library association.
If any of these restrictions or censorship upsets you at all, please attend a library board meeting and voice your support for the library. Some even let you write in. Groups like MFL make it a point to attend a lot of the meetings in hopes to get their way, and it’s working.
Similarly, I attend my local govt meetings each month to stay informed on this kind of stuff TBH. Can't have these groups stunting communities and local public services to align with their twisted beliefs
As a side note... It is kinda depressing how my local community of 11k people only have at most 2 civillians besides myself attending the meetings. Do people really not care about where they live, and the local public services? The bus service here has almost been scrapped TWICE as one example, and right now a neighboring local govt is helping to pay for it for now. It won't last for long, but you can be sure as heck people will complain when they've got to drive or uber into an already traffic clogged city due to the absence of public transit.
Not enough people attend to make a case to keep services and things in a sane condition, compared to organised twisted groups who make convincing cases for the wrong things.
The library I work at has had Moms for Liberty attend several meetings (…) they want us to stop holding some events, including adult focused events about race relations in the Midwest
Uh, sorry, what the FUCK? They can’t be more obvious than this.
They were arguing that teens would show up, because we don’t prevent them from attending the event. This would lead to awkward conversations that the MFL group members are not ready to have as parents.
I don’t know what universe they live in, it’s hard enough to get teens to attend programs that are focused towards them let alone something like this.
My fiance is also a librarian in the midwest and your experiences seems to mirror his. We're trying but it's an uphill battle.
Idk who told conservatives about libraries but if we had just kept quiet about them they never would have even realized they still existed.
Now they are complaining about libraries having books in them. They won't be happy until they are empty concrete rooms. Such a pitiful shame they can't see the objective value of libraries.
Cletus don't need no damn booklernin!
Cletus does sound similar to something they can't find. Maybe we should rename libraries after him.
You're more right than you may know. Conservatives in Houston are forcing several schools to convert their libraries into basically just detention halls.
Sounds like we should come up with a new name for libraries... lol
Hey, I've seen this one!
It is honestly wild watching the "hero" live long enough to become the villain
The war with the Nazis only delayed the US's decline into fascism. People crave simple solutions where they can just blink and their problems are gone, fascism promises simple but false solutions.
They are actually banning books in the US. Guys. I think you have a problem
Not like they were going to read them anyway.
While I’m also outraged at every one of these book banning stories, remember that each one is one library in one state (except Florida, may their uneducated asses rot in the swamp of malicious ignorance) in a huge country
This is a malignantly intentional ignorance, and it will spread.
yes, LGBTQ+ is a problem, indeed. not the fact to be gay but the lobbying stuff which is out of hands.
But lobbying against them is OK?
What lobbying stuff? Are you under the impression that there's a huge, powerful LGBT+ lobby influencing congress? Because that's nonsense. The two biggest lobbying groups in Washington are the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry. Maybe focus on that instead of people who can't help the way they're born.
yes, LGBTQ+ is a problem, indeed.
For whom?
One thing is "banning" and another is deciding what "tax money" buys. You can get any book you want, that is not called banning
So government spending should be based on religious beliefs? Because there is no other reason for banning LGBTQ+ books, you know.
I think the Constitution has a word or two about that.
so we can forcebly stop selling guns because that's "not banning"?
Not all library funds come from public tax dollars. So, assuming those books are bought with non public funds, what's the gripe there? Or, heck, what if I donate the books?
Or maybe this isn't actually about public funds... Maybe it's one group applying their subjective moral beliefs on another group, then retroactively defending their atrocious behavior as a "public funds" debate.
Shouldn't you be under a bridge somewhere?
So if they buy it from book sale money, it's fine?
Sure keep making that up in your head
I dont understand, like how is the government compelled to break its own laws. Isnt library under free speech. I dont understand how such a failure of our institutions was able to happen.
It’s been a long and protracted fight. The Know Your Enemy podcast is a good place to revisit historical conservatism.
It's a topic I care about so I'll definitely start loading myself up on walking material.
That said, there's over 100 episodes and they're quite lengthy. Are there any episodes that stood out to you?
It'll all come with time, but I'd ideally like to prioritize what you felt had more impact or potential, if you recall at all.
A few things
It’s a sticky situation, but unless you’re in a deep red area, you’re probably fine. My collections include graphic novels, so I have their main target, Gender Queer, in there, and I haven’t to take any action regarding it being challenged. I’m ready for when I do, though.
Whenever I see people trying to remove books about minorities conservatives hate, I check the catalogue of the library in question.
Sure is funny how often there's a copy of Mein Kampf on the shelves that no conservative ever has any problem with.
The moment you bring up Mein Kampf with these people the 1st amendment suddenly is the most important thing they can think of and can't be amended to exclude anything evil because muh freedums
“Sure, we’re a red community in a red state, but a lot of the people who have real roots here are angry that the library has been attacked.”
Yeah sounds more like a "Leopards ate my face" article than a real news story.
I remember reading a gay coming-of-age book about a young man struggling to find out who he was, and communicate that to his traditional father.
I'm not even LGBTQ+, but that book was incredible, and I learned a lot from it...
Librarians are heroes, so of course the GOP treats them like dirt.
This sucks. I have a spot on my shelf reserved for banned books. Whenever I used to see a new banned book pop up in the news, I’d go grab a copy. It happens so often now I can’t keep up anymore. I hope the librarian lands on their feet maybe moves to an area that appreciates the amazing service they’re providing.
Conservatives have chosen a really sustainable political path with these culture wars: https://www.axios.com/2022/02/17/lgbtq-generation-z-gallup
What's really fucking aggravating is that conservatives will see the increasing percentages of LGBTQ individuals and think children have been indoctrinated, not the reality that more people are finally comfortable being themselves without the vitriol against them and the consequences of coming out.
You think “sustainable” is in their vocabulary? Under pretty much every aspect, they care about now, period.
Quick, save the kids ! They cannot know how to make babies ! it's not, uh... natural ! or something
Fascist USA
Since when does a town have the authority to fire a librarian?
Libraries are typically public institutions funded and run by the towns they are in.
Most public libraries in the US are owned and operated by the local town or county government.
Another said Gillette’s library had become an “indoctrination center.”
You know where we can start indoctrination of teens? A place they're guaranteed to go and want to use? Libraries.
That's so stupid. Her soul job is to preserve books and their knowledge, regardless of what is in it. The library is sacred. All these people are just a bunch of controlling beanie babies that can't seem to live in a world that isn't just a giant echo chamber of their beliefs.
AMERICA, FUKC YEAH!
This sucks. Removal of books from a Library makes it a Propaganda Center.
Isn't removing a book for a library half of its business plan?
Depends on the library. Besides, that is purposeful removal.
There are reasons for removing items from libraries. Most of which involve the item in question no longer being of utility to the community served by the library.
"New discoveries have outmoded the understanding of the universe contained in this astronomy textbook." is a valid reason to discard an older volume (or move it to special collections in the case of books that have historical significance).
"This book is worn out beyond our ability to repair" is another. Ideally, it would involve replacing the book.
Hell, even "We thought this book would be popular but no one checked it out. Oops. Let's free up space for something the patrons are interested in reading." Is a perfectly valid reason.
"Some bigot doesn't want anyone to read this book" will never be a valid reason.
Give me Titels of the books i need to avoid!
Rules don't apply to me, I do what I want, no matter what my supervision says.
Good.
Growing up without any mention of it except schoolground rumors and Section 28 sucked. I can only imagine what it's like for you living around people who are out now.
Have you actually seen these 'LGBTQWERTY' books?
Library should serve the community, and if the community feels it isnt doing so in its best regard they fully have the right to it, whether or not other people on the opposite side of the country like it
i disagree, communities should not dictate what information someone is allowed to have access to
So does the library contain only LGBTQ+ books or a variety of types? Are the LGBTQ+ books hindering someone to read the other books?
The library should serve the entire community. If the sole fact that a book exists in a library is disturbing you, too bad.
Let's talk about libraries serving the community. My wife is a library administrator. Right now, the library is building a new branch. At the basement of the branch will be a room with a lockable door and a sign-up sheet that has a shower and a washer/dryer. Only one person allowed at a time.
Sounds great, right? Apparently not. According to the assholes coming to meetings, it will encourage "those people" to come to the library (they're coming anyway) and hang around doing drugs and harassing children.
So now they're fighting like crazy to get this room installed. To serve the fucking community.
"And may God have NO mercy on your soul."
Individually, people can be amazing. As a group they often act as mindless idiots. Mob rule should not dictate a society
Librarians are the nicest people. Moms for Liberty is a hate group.
No you're wrong it's a Nazi group
…which is a hate group
Literal Hitler lovers. We should treat them the same way we treated.
the Nazis during WWII
It's a circle
I think given Lemmy's user group, we should start a movement to download and archive as much LGBTQ+ content as possible and stowaway the drives so that if the fascists take power, they won't be very effective at actually getting rid of such knowledge.
They literally quoted Hitler in a big isolated box on top of one of their groups' newsletters, and when there was a moment of silence for Holocaust victims at the town meeting following the incident, they coughed through it.
That's pretty goddamn hateful.
This trans book reading example is ridiculous. It was never something people had to do. Kids were never being randomly sat down to do it. It was an intentional thing that everybody agreed to, and was aware of ahead of time. Are you trying to tell other parents how to raise their kids? Because that's what you're doing. Why are you trying to control other people's lives?
You lost on 30 April 1945. And will lose again. Glad I could clear that up for you.
Moms for Liberty is a hate group. If the name has liberty or freedom in the name, it likely is a hate group.
They literally quoted Hitler on the cover of their first newsletter...
You can go fuck yourself you absolute doorknob.
I'll bite. Where is your citation that hyper agressive LGBTQ parents are getting books from the library to push their agenda. And any citations for damage done to kids by men in drag reading books to third graders? These actions that Moms for liberty take have no data to back them up as being connected to protecting kids from what they say they are protecting them from. Now I will agree that doesn't prove they are a hate group. That is always a matter of opinion anyway. But your counter argument about citations counters itself since you offer no citations either. And for everyone reading, go look up the movie PCU. It's funny but also pretty accurate. Many people on both sides of the extremes are just causeheads.
Ok, hater.