Michigan library threatened with closure for offering LGBT books
[ad_1]
In Jamestown, the Patmos Library lost almost all of its budget after refusing to remove books denounced as pornographic.
Voters in the small town of Jamestown, Michigan, voted not to renew a grant to their Patmos library last week. As a result, the establishment, deprived of 84% of its resources, could quickly close. This decision, taken by 62% of voters, follows months of controversy over the presence, on the shelves of the library, of books by gay authors or featuring LGBT characters.
Much of the criticism from an ultra-conservative Christian community group focused on a comic book by Maia Kobake titled Gender Queer. According to the former director, interviewed by the site The Hill, the autobiographical comic, several times awarded, was in the top ten of the most read books in 2021.
For several months, the Jamestown Conservatives distributed leaflets and put up posters claiming that the library had become a dangerous place for children and that by doing the “promotion of LGBTQ ideology”, she them “prepared for sexual exploitation”. “They are protesting all the LGBTQ books that are on our shelves. They want these books banned, which is unacceptable. We the council will not censor the booksLibrary Board Chairman Larry Walton told The Associated Press.
Last May, Patmos Library Director Amber McLain resigned from her post, citing harassment from members of the community. Acting director Matthew Lawrence followed in his footsteps a few months later.
The library will be able to operate until the end of the first quarter of 2023 thanks to the current budget, but closure is then possible. To avoid this, a fundraising campaign has already raised nearly $60,000. The goal is $245,000, the equivalent of one year’s funding.
[ad_2]
Source link
