"For decades, libraries served as a safe haven for many queer and marginalized youths in eastern Texas, says former county library director Rhea Young. Unlike the school cafeteria, the library was a space where they could explore and find acceptance in who they wanted to be. There were books where they can find characters like them, and realize it's okay to be who they are, Young said. There needs to be more places like that, not fewer."
"One of the books she was told to pull was It's Perfectly Normal, the popular illustrated book that teaches children about puberty, sex and sexuality. Young had bought the book for her own 10-year-old son two decades ago when he expressed curiosity about his changing body. She said it later helped him come to terms with his identity as a transgender man."
Libraries in eastern Texas historically provided safe spaces where queer and marginalized youth could explore identity and find acceptance through books. Montgomery County officials directed relocation of LGBTQ+ and sexually explicit materials to an 18+ restricted section and ordered more conservative Christian titles. A librarian refused to enforce the policy, citing harm to marginalized children, and was fired in January, then sued the county judge and commissioners for wrongful termination. Librarians across multiple states have joined civil rights groups to legally challenge book bans and defend free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]