Library Event Cancelations, Changes, and Support for Pride Month 2023

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Kelly is simply a erstwhile librarian and a long-time blogger astatine STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her adjacent book, BODY TALK, volition people successful Fall 2020. Follow her connected Instagram @heykellyjensen.

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It should travel arsenic nary astonishment successful the aftermath of ongoing publication bans and Pride pushback that erstwhile again, June comes and goes with a big of library-sponsored storytimes, publication displays, and events being bombarded with hate. In immoderate cases, that hatred led to the cancelation oregon disruption of events, and successful different cases, libraries were capable to transportation guardant offering materials and activities serving the entirety of their assemblage — not conscionable the vocal minority.

Lil Miss Hot Mess, writer of The Hips connected the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish, a fashionable storytime enactment for Pride-themed resistance queen storytimes, is simply a committee subordinate of Drag Story Hour. I reached retired to her to speech a spot astir what she has seen and experienced successful presumption of Pride this twelvemonth successful narration to room and assemblage events. “From my ain idiosyncratic acquisition (I, unfortunately, don’t person information for Drag Story Hour arsenic a whole), it seemed that determination were much events this year. I cognize I surely received my emblematic fig of requests for Pride bookings (or possibly adjacent more), and I felt similar I was seeing lawsuit listings each implicit the country.”

She says this with a caveat, noting that determination seemed to beryllium a flimsy displacement successful wherever the requests were emerging.

“Many were produced by bookstores, different tiny businesses, and Pride festivals, truthful it’s possible that the fig of events held by nationalist libraries themselves had declined. I deliberation we’re successful a paradoxical moment: due to the fact that of the backlash against resistance communicative hours, we’ve received much and much property — but the bully quality is that much and much communities are anxious to signifier and be resistance communicative hours.”

Lil Miss Hot Mess reads to children and adults from her book. Photo by Tammy Orr Wyant / MOCA Tucson.

Lil Miss Hot Mess says that Pride is simply a clip erstwhile she and chap Drag assemblage members get the accidental to shine. This year, with changing legislation, rising hatred, and accrued fears astir what whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium received by a community, the aerial astir these events felt a spot different.

“I deliberation galore of america felt a spot of other fearfulness and anxiousness approaching our events arsenic we’ve seen the intensification of backlash, including precise credible reports that groups similar the Proud Boys were mobilizing particularly hard to people this year’s Pride celebrations and communicative hours,” she explained. “And portion determination were surely protests and threats from these groups, thankfully our chapters and storytellers were particularly prepared to support our communities harmless and support our events focused connected the magic of resistance and reading. I mean, it’s ridiculous that we unrecorded successful a state wherever we request to bash information trainings and marque information plans conscionable to work to children, but they surely helped springiness maine much bid of mind. To beryllium honest, I had immoderate sleepless nights earlier events, but astatine the extremity of Pride, I breathed a immense suspiration of alleviation that we were capable to show that the amusement indispensable spell on!”

Find beneath a roundup of stories highlighting this year’s challenges crossed the state specifically related to Pride, positive a mates of bonus non-U.S. stories. These are breached up by publication displays, books gone “missing,” resistance storytimes and different Pride events, with a bonus class that highlights things that don’t acceptable neatly successful the erstwhile three. As should beryllium wide by now, these are lone stories being shared successful the media, and successful the cases of libraries being deed by CatholicVote’s “Hide the Pride,” I’ve elected to instrumentality that enactment astatine its look worth successful the claims they made of success, adjacent erstwhile section media did not screen the story. Why? Because the media is itself complicit successful this ongoing fascism, fixed however overmuch is buried down paywalls (which you’ll spot plentifulness of here, too). In immoderate cases — whether oregon not it is the due determination — libraries elite not to publicize what has happened and/or are unaware they became targets of the coordinated effort. In different cases, the treatment happened connected societal media and/or successful committee meetings, with nary publicizing beyond that. I’ve not included stories wherever determination is nary nexus to something.

It is worthy noting, too, that nationalist libraries successful the U.S. statesman preparing if they haven’t for what the blimpish steadfast Brave Books plans for “events” crossed the state August 5.

Lil Miss Hot Mess reminds everyone, too, not to hide to support warring for Pride and LGBTQ+ radical extracurricular of Pride month. The stakes are excessively high, particularly not.

“It’s large to observe Pride successful June, but I deliberation we request to retrieve to beryllium supportive of intersectional LGBTQ+ radical and stories each twelvemonth long. Drag Story Hour shouldn’t conscionable beryllium erstwhile a year, but should beryllium erstwhile a period (or more), truthful kids person opportunities not conscionable for a sensation of queer civilization and history, but to truly spell heavy successful knowing and celebrating what makes america each special. And similarly, LGBTQ+ books shouldn’t conscionable beryllium for resistance communicative hours, but should beryllium included regularly successful displays, publication reviews, and each sorts of programming.”

Photo by Jason Leung connected Unsplash

Pride Display Dismantling, Complaints

After complaints astir Pride displays successful 2021, Orem Public Library (UT) banned them successful 2022, aboriginal adding immoderate displays honoring practice months. This year, determination was nary Pride display, but the room was threatened with a suit if they chose not to make a Pride show by the extremity of June. Keep an oculus retired connected this 1 arsenic the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression prepares to writer the room for violating First Amendment Rights. This is simply a complex, analyzable communicative and the nonfiction present lays retired the past starring to this infinitesimal well.

Prior to the opening of June, Mid-Continent Public Library System — the largest successful Missouri — implemented policies that ban Pride displays successful children’s and young big areas of the library, adjacent with worldly designated for those property groups. The determination comes not astatine the hands of the room but the state, which has implemented immoderate of the astir damaging authorities against LGBTQ+ books successful the country.

Lafayette Parish Public Library (Louisiana) has banned Pride displays from the facility. These aren’t the lone displays impacted, though, by the determination which came down from the room director. Women’s History and Black History Month displays volition apt not hap anymore, either. Why? Well, it’s not due to the fact that they’re not allowed. It’s to beryllium “proactive” successful not encouraging publication banners to prohibition the books connected display. This is censorship, if you’re wondering.

Here’s a communicative that played retired each June long. The E.G. Fisher Public Library successful Athens, Tennessee, enactment up a show astatine the opening of the month, but it rapidly got removed. Citizens showed up to the metropolis assembly to inquire what happened and request the room enactment the show backmost up. This archetypal story is simply a small dodgy connected details, but it notes that the politician and vice politician were approached by citizens unhappy with the display. A study from a Tennessee quality presumption talked astir the chilling effect their anti-drag instrumentality has had connected Pride period and, arsenic it turns out, the vice politician from Athens said that the metropolis assembly talked with the librarian astir the display, saying that libraries should stay neutral (public libraries truly screwed themselves implicit ever playing into this false thought of “neutrality,” and this is simply a large illustration arsenic to why). An morals probe was opened successful the case, and portion the metropolis lawyer did not judge determination was a usurpation — remember, this is the politician and vice politician who demanded the show beryllium taken down — the library’s effect was that they were acrophobic if they didn’t region it, they’d suffer their funding. This is not an unfounded fear, fixed trends successful the country, and more, this is besides a textbook illustration of Big C censorship.

The J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library successful Appomattox, Virginia, removed a Pride show aft complaints. Then the region committee of supervisors decided to occurrence the room committee arsenic a response. Some of the room committee was reinstated though. This communicative is simply a terrifying illustration of government overreach connected truthful galore levels.

Oconee County Library successful Watkinsville, Georgia, came nether occurrence from section right-wingers implicit Pride publication displays. There was really nary quality communicative connected this — astatine slightest disposable online — but this communicative was submitted to the section Reddit page and the comments are worthy reading. I’m not wholly definite whether the show remained oregon was removed, but immoderate of the Pride show complainers besides seemed to lodge complaints astir a publication work during communicative time, arsenic that did marque the section news. The communicative is unclear, though: seemingly the publication was not approved by the room committee — remember, this is not the occupation of the room committee to o.k. books oregon programming — and present the metropolis assembly is going to fig retired however to marque that portion of their job.

The Erie County Public Library strategy successful Pennsylvania was deed with complaints implicit a Pride show successful the children’s country of the Blasco library. In effect to the complaint, the manager allegedly said the show had to travel down, truthful it was removed. But past the unit were besides not allowed to talk connected the contented astatine all, and successful the communicative that is paywalled for me, idiosyncratic suggested that the show was simply taken down due to the fact that such displays honoring individuality person ne'er been replaced before. In spot of the Pride show that was dismantled, there was a motion enactment up explaining wherefore it was removed and not replaced.

In what has present been a two-year-long battle, Travelers Rest Public Library, portion of the Greenville strategy successful South Carolina, enactment up a Pride display. There were complaints astir specified displays successful the strategy past year, and room medication said nary much would beryllium allowed. The subdivision manager successful Travelers Rest decided to spell for it anyhow due to a loophole successful the board’s argumentation from past year — kudos to them! — and the show was capable to enactment up, acknowledgment to the tune of an other $25,000 successful information being enactment successful place for that branch. It is precise imaginable the committee volition outright prohibition Pride displays adjacent year.

County Commissioner Chris Latvala complained astir a Pride show astatine Palm Harbor Library successful Florida, truthful naturally, the show disappeared. Nice fascism close there.

North Shelby Library successful Alabama heard dozens of complaints (and heard support) implicit a Pride show successful the children’s area. The show stayed up.

And successful a tiny Arizona nationalist library, “[w]hen the Prescott Valley Public Library created a tiny show for Pride successful the children’s conception of the library, representatives from the Prescott Valley Republican Women and Granite Mountain Republican Women’s group harassed librarians. Women from the radical called for librarians to resign from their positions oregon requested they beryllium fired, says Freibott.” How embarrassing to see yourself a patriot and that you support liberty and justness for each and you walk your clip demanding publication displays beryllium removed and librarians merit harassment?

man successful achromatic overgarment lasting adjacent brownish woody publication shelves

Photo by Alexei Maridashvili connected Unsplash

“Hide The Pride” and Disappearing LGBTQ+ Books connected Pride Displays

A inclination worthy paying attraction to successful this roundup: determination are a batch of events that got canceled, but determination are an adjacent fig — oregon much — which carried forth, adjacent aft complaints.

Before diving into the less-great news, how astir we statesman with a affirmative story? Peabody Public Library successful Columbia City, Indiana, knew determination had been pushback against Pride successful their community. So what they did was cheque retired each of the books connected show to work and observe them. We cognize the quality betwixt this communicative and ones to travel is that patrons picked them up to beryllium arrogant of them, to work them, to enactment the library’s displays and circulation numbers, and to instrumentality them erstwhile they are due.

Ferndale Public Library (Michigan) was hit aboriginal by the “Hide the Pride” campaign. They publicized it immediately, which besides meant they could bask immoderate bully publicity erstwhile they restocked their shelves with adjacent much LGBTQ+ books.

Rancho Penasquitos, a subdivision room of the San Diego Public Library System (CA), saw protesters cheque retired the books connected the Pride display. It’s not mentioned whether oregon not this was a circumstantial “Hide the Pride” inaugural oregon a effect to not getting events canceled similar they wanted crossed the system.

Twenty books were checked retired successful the Essex Library successful Connecticut. Again, this doesn’t sanction “Hide the Pride,” but it was done successful protest.

We bash cognize that Greenwich Public Library (CT) was deed by “Hide the Pride.”

Louisville Public Library (KY) also got deed by “Hide the Pride.”

CatholicVote claims “Hide the Pride” deed a subdivision of the Chicago Public Library (where the idiosyncratic who did the transgression besides requested a show model astir the Blessed Mary and got it), Santa Clarita Public Library (CA), Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (AL), Arapahoe Library District (CO), and Spring Branch Memorial Library (TX).

image of a resistance queen holding a motion saying "love is love."

Drag & Pride Storytime, Event Cancelations

“I cognize it’s an incredibly hard clip for librarians (and educators of each stripes), but they’re immoderate of the best fighters for freedom, truthful I anticipation our communities volition amusement their enactment for them and their programming arsenic well. This means showing up to events, penning letters oregon emails of support, showing up to room committee meetings, and each that jazz, truthful that we drown retired the vocal number (because they are a minority!) crusading against LGBTQ+ books and programs,” said Lil Miss Hot Mess. She emphasized that, “[t]his is particularly important successful nationalist libraries: we request to punctual the haters that LGBTQ+ radical are portion of our communities, and libraries (like each nationalist institutions) person a work to bespeak the galore diversities among us. We request to beryllium definite not to normalize this bigotry, and alternatively to punctual radical that their hatred has nary spot here.”

After receiving threats, the Tigard Public Library (OR) canceled their Drag Queen Storytime retired of an abundance of caution. This peculiar room was targeted acknowledgment to a Fox News article calling them retired arsenic a room offering specified an event. It is intolerable not to spot the ties betwixt the two.

The Weeks Memorial Library successful Lancaster, New Hampshire, was offering its abstraction for a resistance communicative clip to beryllium hosted by White Mountains Pride. They got truthful galore complaints, including an online petition, that the lawsuit was canceled (even though it was not a room event).

At Virginia M. Tutt Library (Indiana), the Proud Boys showed up to tempest a rainbow storytime. They were wearing achromatic supremacist symbols and became truthful intimidating, the room canceled the event. Who is the existent information here?

St. Kilda Public Library successful Australia canceled their resistance storytime. In different parts of the world, Elgin Library successful Moray, Scotland, besides canceled a resistance communicative time

New York’s Woodstock Library saw pushback for hosting a resistance communicative time, but they voted to support it going, contempt protests.

Shelby Public Library successful North Carolina held a Pride trade event. Then the bigots came to complain, and they went consecutive to the metropolis council, alternatively than the room board. They suggested that the room beryllium defunded due to the fact that of this lawsuit (it did not happen, and the lawsuit happened, too).

The metropolis manager of Ketchikan Public Library (AK) said no resistance queen storytime this year, pursuing the aforesaid determination made by the metropolis council.

Cobleigh Library successful Vermont saw protestors amusement up to a poesy speechmaking held by a section queer, Black poet. They ended the lawsuit aboriginal for everyone’s safety. “An hr into the event, which St. Negritude described arsenic ‘a precise elemental gathering … for anyone to bring a publication and to work aloud your favourite queer poet,’ room unit alerted him to a tiny radical of protesters who were lasting extracurricular holding signs with spiritual slogans specified arsenic ‘Prepare to conscionable thy God.'”

Two stories deed my cervix of the woods this month, and some were worthy of the champion melodramatic acting by the bigots. First: protestors were huffy that Rockton Public Library (IL) plans to big an lawsuit with a resistance queen for teens astir constitution and styling. The lawsuit was expected to beryllium successful idiosyncratic but moved to virtual. The situation actors wanted it canceled and created each kinds of absorbing conspiracy theories astir the lawsuit (look astatine each of the older achromatic radical successful this photo and the children they’re actively grooming to beryllium hateful). The lawsuit volition happen. Down the roadworthy successful Belvidere, the Ida Public Library dealt with radical mad astir a rainbow party with immoderate Pride-themed crafts (the lawsuit went on).

Glendale, California, canceled its room resistance queen storytime. This communicative has less details than most, though it is absorbing the aforesaid resistance creator attended an lawsuit the aforesaid greeting this 1 was canceled.

Even though a radical of pastors successful Mobile, Alabama, believed their hatred was much important than the rights of everyone other successful their community, the metropolis library’s “taxpayer-funded” resistance storytime carried on. They emotion that “taxpayer-funded” bit, arsenic though their tax-exempt spiritual institutions merit immoderate accidental astir it.

At the Wilmette Public Library (IL), a lone protestor was huffy astir a rainbow storytime. The attendees pushed backmost done large singing. This is the illustration to acceptable for kids. It’s excessively atrocious kids should not request to beryllium exposed to this hatred successful the archetypal place.

I’m including a communicative present without a link, but which I engaged personally. The Deerfield Public Library (IL) faced an onslaught of harassment for hosting a rainbow storytime successful June. The lawsuit went guardant without incident, but anterior to it, they received not lone complaints but a flood of enactment (according to manager Amy E. Falasz-Peterson, “This past week, we person been overwhelmed with the outpouring of enactment and emotion from our Deerfield community, neighboring communities, and room colleagues astir the nation. We person received implicit 100 emails of support. You’ve spoiled america with cookies, bagels, flowers, and encouragement. The Deerfield Public Library supports lifelong learning and we strive to marque our room an inclusive spot by offering a wide assortment of programs. We judge that it is up to each idiosyncratic to find what programs acceptable the needs of their family.”

And possibly 1 of my favourite stories of room Pride panic is this one: the Athens, Ohio, room got immoderate publicity from 1 antheral determined to assertion they person a cheery agenda, truthful the section paper went to acceptable the grounds straight. Guess who does not look bully successful this story?

a gathering with a motion that reads nationalist library

Photo by chris robert connected Unsplash

Final Words from Lil Miss Hot Mess

the hips connected the resistance queen spell swish swish swish publication cover

When asked astir her ain experiences with Pride this year, Lil Miss Hot Mess shared 1 of her favourite experiences and wherever and however 2023 felt antithetic than years prior. “I got to big a communicative hr astatine Seattle’s PrideFest and look connected their mainstage. It’s genuinely truthful peculiar to spot kids and families crook retired for these events, and to spot truthful galore kids formal up successful their astir sparkly and fabulous outfits, and sing and creation on to my books and others! I’m not 1 who thinks that each Pride activities request to beryllium kid-friendly, but it genuinely brings maine joyousness to make unsocial spaces wherever kids tin creatively explicit themselves, trial retired the waters of their identities, and beryllium portion of queer communities and histories,” she said.

“Overall, it was besides precise moving to spot Pride go a spot much governmental again: it’s large to person a party, but this year, it truly felt similar determination was a greater consciousness that we request to combat for our rights, and particularly for justness for the astir targeted among us.”

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