Two of the three commissioners in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, have asked a local library to remove from the children’s wing a Pride Month display featuring several LGBTQ-inclusive picture books. Many others in the community are rallying in support of the books.
Commissioner Scott Metzger wrote Tuesday on his Facebook page:
At this morning’s Lycoming County Commissioners meeting a discussion was held on these books that are on display at the James V. Brown Library in the children’s section to celebrate PRIDE month. Books that are on display titled Jacob’s New Dress, Jack (not Jackie) and Julian is a Mermaid are a few. The Lycoming County Commissioners provide just under 1.3 million dollars for our 6 county libraries. Two of the three commissioners have asked the library director to remove these books from display and place them back on the shelves. These books subject matter discuss it is ok for a brother to wear his sisters clothes but he has to wear his own when he goes outside. Mommy and Daddy say it is ok because you were born this way. These books are geared at children that have no idea of what sexuality or gender identity is at that age. Please contact the library and ask for them to be removed from being on display. Kids need to be kids.
In addition to Jacob’s New Dress, Jack (not Jackie), and Julian is a Mermaid, several other books were mentioned by NorthcentralPA.com in their coverage of the incident or shown in their photos of the display: Love is Love, Love Makes a Family, I Am Jazz, Rainbow: A First Book of Pride, and Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag.
Metzger told NorthcentralPA.com that his post was not an attack on the library or on the LGBT community, adding, “They are wonderful people. They truly are business owners or parents, you know, they’re part of our society.” Apparently his goodwill doesn’t extend to letting children know we exist, however.
Commissioner Tony Mussare told the Williamsport Sun-Gazette he had also asked the library to consider removing the books, saying, “Our children are confused enough.” He and Metzger want the books returned to the shelves or to the adult section. “Why should kids know about a lot of sexual things at that age?” he asked NorthcentralPA.com. Clearly, he hasn’t read any of these books, because there isn’t anything sexual in any of them.
Rick Mirabito, the third county commissioner, disagrees with Metzger and Mussare, and explained to the Sun-Gazette, “When we hide books, we are saying, ‘You folks are second-class citizens.’ Intolerance often escalates into violence, even death.”
The hundreds of comments on Metzger’s post seem mostly to be against the proposed censorship. A sampling:
If you don’t want your kids to read these books, don’t check them out. This really has no business being on your agenda. And threats to funding are completely inappropriate. —Tracy Lee
What kind of a sad, scared, insecure little man is this threatened by completely appropriate children’s books? If we don’t have to hide the cishet books, then we don’t have to hide the LGBT books. —Gus Li
Children need to see themselves represented in literature as they are. These books aren’t for everyone, but they are for some and those people need to feel safe and accepted…. We are long overdue to be done with the ugly, unchristian, bigotry displayed in this post and it should be codified into law. Our/your failure to extend basic human rights by passing non-discrimination protections to include the LGBTQ+ community is a shame we carry as long as we don’t act. —Dave Banks
Just because a kid sees a book with a boy who wears dresses does not mean he will wear dresses. That isn’t how it works, bro. Do better. Be better. —Jennifer McLaughlin
These are educational books. Of course kids don’t know much about these topics, especially because of people like you keeping the topics away from kids, pushing them back into the closet…These books introduce the topics to kids in a way that’s geared towards them. Your bigotry will just make it harder for these kids to live full and happy lives. Go suck an egg. —Julia Dorothy Natalia Zion
Other commenters shared the library’s donation link, calling on people to show the library their support for putting up and keeping up the display. (NorthcentralPA.com had reported that Metzger took his post down after the outrage it provoked, but it seems to be back up as of this writing.)
I’m a proud queer individual and I wish that, as a child who didn’t understand their gender identity, not only had books like this existed, but that the James V. Brown Library, our PUBLIC library, had featured them prominently.
Constituent Brian Spies doesn’t understand Metzger’s position, either, writing in a open letter to Metzger:
I’m a non binary Lycoming County resident and native who routinely, like the child in the book you mentioned, wears a dress despite having been labeled a boy at birth. I’m a proud queer individual and I wish that, as a child who didn’t understand their gender identity, not only had books like this existed, but that the James V. Brown Library, our PUBLIC library, had featured them prominently.
Maybe I would have felt less alone, maybe I wouldn’t have self harmed and maybe at 15, I wouldn’t have needed to have my stomach pumped after I overdosed because I didn’t want to live anymore.
Queer individuals exist and have existed in this, and every other community, for as long as people have gathered in groups with shared interests and a desire to become part of something bigger than any one person, which is to say, forever.
A petition is now circulating calling for Metzger and Mussare to resign.
Readers here likely know that books with LGBTQ characters have been among the most likely to be challenged, decade after decade. If you know of books being challenged in your community for any reason, please report the incident to the American Library Association (ALA) through their online form or by e-mailing or phoning the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, oif@ala.org or 800.545.2433 x4226. They track this stuff and raise awareness of why censorship is wrong. Additionally, let your local library know about the LGBTQ-inclusive books that you love and ask them to stock them. (Here are some ideas.)
(Thanks to Sarah and Ian Hoffman, authors of the aforementioned Jacob’s New Dress, whose tweet let me know about this incident.)