The advisory board for an Alaska public library has elected to keep a collection of books with reported LGBT themes in its youth sections.
The Homer Public Library Advisory Board announced the decision to keep the books in the library’s children’s and young adult sections instead of moving them to a separate section last week, according to the Associated Press.
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Prior to the decision, at least 500 people had signed a complaint to have dozens of books with supposed LGBT themes moved out of the youth sections, the Associated Press wrote.
The complaint requested that the works “promoting transgender ideology, drag queens, homosexuality, and all other books which are intended to indoctrinate children in LGBQT+ ideologies” be eliminated from the library’s collection or moved to a different section for more mature readers, according to the report.
According to the petition, children and young minds could “stumble upon these confusing ideas.”
Library director Dave Berry alerted library staff to the complaints before he denied the request. After the denial, one person appealed to the advisory board, according to the report.
After a four-hour meeting, which included time for public comment, the board decided on the fate of each individual book.
“The books that some would like to have removed are written for children, recommended by library professionals, and selected by our own library professionals as appropriate for our community,” one public speaker said. “They belong in the children’s section of the library.”
The patron who had appealed Berry’s decision disagreed and brought up the fact that the library had previously removed works by Dr. Seuss because they had been deemed racist.
“We both think that certain topics should be approached with parental guidance,” the person said. “So, explain to me why sexuality is not one of those.”
In the end, the board upheld each of the 55 titles without any member standing in opposition, according to the report.
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The community of Homer sits 220 miles southwest of Anchorage.
