But AP’s headline does n’t quite match its story
A trip report from the Associated Press highlights the reported “banning” of LGBTQ+- themed books … and exact physical assaults gay librarians claim they’ve endured.
A problem, however, is that the AP headline — “LGBTQ+ librarians grapple with attacks on books – and on themselves” — does n’t quite match the article’s content.
” Worldwide Pride Month events are also live to enjoy LGBTQ+ society and right”, writes the AP’s Claire Savage. However, it comes at a time when LGBTQ+ people report having more and more difficult job environments, including physical assaults and repeated mistreatment.
But the story cites just one librarian, Idaho’s June Meissner ( pictured ), who claims” she” was assaulted by a man at the Boise Public Library who had asked for assistance, and ended up” taking a swing” at Meissner, a transgender woman.
Adding to the topic — making it “personal” for people like Meissner— are the “growing calls for publication bans” on homosexual- themed reading materials.
” Gender Queer,” which features vivid depictions of sexual acts, is the text that has the most difficulty for the next year in a row. However, Maia Kobabe, the artist, claims the text is “unbelievably tame.”
“]The book ] does touch on sexuality, gender playthings, and sexual health”, Kobabe said, but” these are things that pretty much anyone will face in some shape or another in their life”.
Further: Syracuse U. professor defends romantically unambiguous K- 12 book
Due to the book’s sexually explicit nature, organizations like Moms for Liberty have challenged” Gender Queer” and other publications.
” The least exciting thing about a child may get their sexual orientation”, Parents for Liberty’s Tiffany Justice said. ” Why are we flooding them with sexual content”?
The AP’s Savage records state lawmakers across the country are” considering claims, fines, and perhaps jail” for the transmission of ebooks” some regard as inappropriate”. But most, if not all, such legislation pertains to keeping explicit (or, as Savage notes, “harmful” — quotes in the original ) material away from children, as in Meissner’s home state of Idaho.
Meissner says this sort of “politicking” is “getting the general public riled up”, and as such “make things more dangerous and worse” for “her”. Chaz Carey, an Ohio children’s librarian who uses” they/them” pronouns, concurred saying book challenges “take a mental toll” on them.
The American Library Association’s Emily Drabinski, a self- described” Marxist lesbian” who believes climate change is a threat to libraries, added that “attacks” on books like” Gender Queer” are also attacks on LGBTQ+ people.
It’s been a difficult and agonizing year for me to have my identity hacked against libraries, library workers, the people and institutions I care about the most, according to Drabinski.
MORE: More classics taken from classrooms because SOME book “bans” are A-OK.
IMAGE: Las Vegas Sun/X
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