In the last decade, America’s support for the LGBTQ community has only increased as more and more citizens join the fight for the freedom to express themselves. Yet, at the same time, protesters have also been working to negate these efforts.
Adrianne Peterson, a proud librarian of 11 years, began questioning how well she knew her community after two San Diego residents checked out all of the books in her Pride Month display and refused to return them. She then received an email demanding that she take down the collection and remove what they deemed “inappropriate content”.
Fortunately, the community decided to step in. Amazon delivery boxes arrived at the library, containing new copies of the lost books to replace the ones taken. Around 180 citizens, mostly residents in San Diego, raised more than 15,000 dollars to donate to the library to support more LGBTQ-themed expansions.
In the past few years, conservative activists have been challenging the ideas of the LGBTQ community. They are pushing to remove LGBTQ books from libraries and textbooks from schools, under the belief that the books are sexually explicit and inappropriate for younger children and teens. Protests have broken out all across America as anti-LGBTQ supporters demonstrate against the community.
In Los Angeles, some parents refused to send their kids to school when their elementary school, Saticoy Elementary, decided to host a pride assembly last Friday. Parents protested the event, even going as far as burning a pride flag in front of the school. (NBC Los Angeles)
Last Tuesday in Temecula, CA, the primarily conservative school board rejected a highly recommended textbook discussing LGBTQ history and Harvey Milk, the murdered gay rights activist. The book, Social Studies Alive!, had been put forward by the teachers committee. The decision follows several other controversial moves made by the board. (EdSource)
On June 1, a conservative group called CatholicVote recently launched a campaign called “Hide the Pride”, a parent led movement to clear tax-funded libraries of gender-related content for children. The campaign encouraged supporters to check out or take books that depicted LGBTQ characters in their mission to “reclaim their purity”. In a letter to their local library board, campaign leaders angrily stated that these books that depicted sexual attraction between adults should not have been in an open space for children. (CatholicVote)
Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, says, “The library needs to use its discretion in how it will make certain content available to people who have very different beliefs about whether this is appropriate for kids.”
In some ways, the efforts of these right-wing activists have not been in vain. Librarians find it increasingly difficult to put books about gender identity out on display, with threats of defunding or public protest. Library boards have sought to ban several titles concerning gender identity but ultimately opted to move the books to the adult section instead.
Despite all the anti-LGBTQ efforts being made, many hopeful US citizens work to support the LGBTQ community in hopes that it will one day be fully accepted into society.
Adrianne Peterson, a proud librarian of 11 years, began questioning how well she knew her community after two San Diego residents checked out all of the books in her Pride Month display and refused to return them. She then received an email demanding that she take down the collection and remove what they deemed “inappropriate content”.
Fortunately, the community decided to step in. Amazon delivery boxes arrived at the library, containing new copies of the lost books to replace the ones taken. Around 180 citizens, mostly residents in San Diego, raised more than 15,000 dollars to donate to the library to support more LGBTQ-themed expansions.
In the past few years, conservative activists have been challenging the ideas of the LGBTQ community. They are pushing to remove LGBTQ books from libraries and textbooks from schools, under the belief that the books are sexually explicit and inappropriate for younger children and teens. Protests have broken out all across America as anti-LGBTQ supporters demonstrate against the community.
In Los Angeles, some parents refused to send their kids to school when their elementary school, Saticoy Elementary, decided to host a pride assembly last Friday. Parents protested the event, even going as far as burning a pride flag in front of the school. (NBC Los Angeles)
Last Tuesday in Temecula, CA, the primarily conservative school board rejected a highly recommended textbook discussing LGBTQ history and Harvey Milk, the murdered gay rights activist. The book, Social Studies Alive!, had been put forward by the teachers committee. The decision follows several other controversial moves made by the board. (EdSource)
On June 1, a conservative group called CatholicVote recently launched a campaign called “Hide the Pride”, a parent led movement to clear tax-funded libraries of gender-related content for children. The campaign encouraged supporters to check out or take books that depicted LGBTQ characters in their mission to “reclaim their purity”. In a letter to their local library board, campaign leaders angrily stated that these books that depicted sexual attraction between adults should not have been in an open space for children. (CatholicVote)
Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, says, “The library needs to use its discretion in how it will make certain content available to people who have very different beliefs about whether this is appropriate for kids.”
In some ways, the efforts of these right-wing activists have not been in vain. Librarians find it increasingly difficult to put books about gender identity out on display, with threats of defunding or public protest. Library boards have sought to ban several titles concerning gender identity but ultimately opted to move the books to the adult section instead.
Despite all the anti-LGBTQ efforts being made, many hopeful US citizens work to support the LGBTQ community in hopes that it will one day be fully accepted into society.