Never underestimate the power of protest. After public outrage and an imminent investigation by the state Division of Human Rights, a Long Island library board reversed its decision to remove Pride displays from its children’s sections. Displays will now stay up through at least July 15.
The Smithtown Library board reversed its decision in a 4 to 2 vote at an emergency meeting Thursday evening, two days after voting 4 to 2 in favor of the ban. Earlier on Thursday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul had directed the state Division of Human Rights “to immediately investigate anti-LGBTQ+ bias at Smithtown Public Libraries,” adding, “We will never allow a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ philosophy to take root in our state”—an allusion to the “Don’t say gay” law recently passed in Florida that restricts discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools.
The displays in question included picture books including Pink is for Boys, by Robb Pearlman, and Pride Puppy, by Robin Stevenson, reports the Times Union. Readers of this blog will know that both are perfectly appropriate books for kids, with not a whiff of sexual content. (See reviews at the links.) Trustee Marie Gergenti, who along with Theresa Grisafi voted in favor of banning the display both times, expressed her concern on Thursday night that “little children” in particular were exposed to images in some of the books on the display. She explained that she has family members who are LGBTQ, but still wants to “shield” the littlest kids from the books. (A recording of the meeting is here.)
Trustee Marilyn Lo Presti, however, who voted in favor of the ban Tuesday but abstained from voting Thursday, expressed her specific concern Thursday that small children will read the book Melissa, by Alex Gino, a middle grade book that was also on the display and that she says has material inappropriate for the very youngest ages. Lo Presti said she has several close family members who are LGBTQ, and that she is not anti-LGBTQ, but simply worries about young children’s access to materials like Melissa, which is about a transgender girl. Lo Presti said she was concerned about one reference to the characters looking at dirty magazines and Internet content. I’ve read the book; this passage exists, but is far from explicit. Melissa’s real goal is to find information about gender identity. In any case, that’s a red herring. Children’s sections always have books aimed at various ages. Most young children won’t go after books not for their age—they know, based on the book’s size and format, that it’s not for them. They’re attracted to picture books, not all-text books like Melissa—and if there are exceptions, it’s easy for a parent or other adult to suggest it’s too complex and shift their attention elsewhere. Simply having a display with the book on it is several steps removed from exposing young children to anything inappropriate.
Board President Brianna Baker-Stines, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community herself, opposed banning the displays. She said at the meeting Thursday that the board had overstepped its role, and that the choice of books to display should be in the hands of the librarians, who have professional training to do so. “The motion that we made went against our mission statement and it was a mistake,” she said. “The fact that this motion was even proposed illustrates the conflicts we have in this town between board members, staff patrons, and all community members.”
The board released a statement after Thursday’s reversal vote, noting (PDF):
The majority of the Board recognizes that our earlier decision was made without the time, care and due diligence that a decision of this type deserves and that it was the wrong decision. Moving forward we will commit our collective energies toward ensuring that we get the advice and guidance needed from our Library Administrators, staff, outside experts, legal counsel and most importantly from Smithtown residents before we make important decisions regarding our Library….
We know that a good library will contain things that may trouble each of us but understand that our primary role involves representing many different viewpoints and opposing ideas. We do this by giving voice – and space – to each.
Both the LGBT Network, a support and advocacy organization that serves Long Island and Queens, and the statewide advocacy organization Equality New York, had quickly rallied their members to demand that the trustees change their initial decision to ban the displays. Equality New York launched a petition in support of the displays and told trustees who had voted for the ban that the organization “will help challenge you in local elections.”
After their success in overturning the ban, the LGBT Network told its supporters, “This happened because YOU spoke up and spoke out! It is a reason to celebrate and demonstrates what our collective power can do. But it is also a wakeup call that the culture wars targeting LGBTQ youth are very much here in our backyard.”
The group will be holding a virtual Community Town Hall, Monday, June 27, at 7 p.m. ET, to discuss three new initiatives “that will work toward permanently changing the landscape of our schools for our LGBTQ youth and the leadership that makes up our school boards and library trustee seats.”
Speaking out does make a difference. Local politics are as important as national ones. And anti-LGBTQ actions can occur in any state, even ones with generally good track records on LGBTQ rights. See my original post on the Pride display ban for ways you can fight censorship if it occurs in your community.