In his editorial, Do the Right Thing, Kenney concludes, “It takes guts to create libraries that support the needs of all our students. It takes even more guts to support collections that may attract fierce opposition. But that just happens to be our job.”
I cannot tell you how many times I have been told that a “compromise” that involves locking up gay-themed books so teens can’t get to them is a “victory” because the library’s core funding hasn’t been decimated. I assume that means that we can write off gay teens and their needs and interests, and that when it comes to library bonds, millages, and other requests for support, we don’t need or want support from gay taxpayers–or those who agree with them that a censored library is no library at all.
Posted on this day, other years:
- Speaking about writing: I nominate me - 2016
- Dan Gillmor's Citizen Journalism Enterprise - 2005
- Discussion on Cuba Resolution at ALA Midwinter Conference, 2004 - 2004
Thanks so much for brining that editorial to my attention. It is excellent. I fervently hope that it will have some impact on school librarians who have the ability to purchase books that might help teens (and not just gay and lesbian teens but all teens who feel that there is something about them that sets them apart from their classmates) feel a little less alone. Those are tough years and reading books with characters who are like you can make it a bit easier.
I didn’t think there was such a think as gay or lesbian literature when I was a teen, most of what was in the school library was romances, books about boys building cars (usually set in the 1950’s), or some contemporary books by Judy Blume. If there had been books by someone like Julie Anne Peters (Far from Xanadu, Keeping You A Secret, Luna, etc.), I might have figured myself out much sooner.
Yes, thanks–I’m sure I would have seen this eventually, but it’s good to see it now. My grandmother always suggests that when people want to get rid of gay-themed books (or movies, or music, or what have you) that we ought then to tell them that they will have to agree to be deprived of every book, movie, song, etc. written by or featuring someone gay–in which case we’d have very hollow collections, and a very hollow world, indeed.
Until I read that editorial, I really had no idea that some libraries did that with their gay themed books. I’ve been a librarian for almost 15 years now, and I always thought that the “lock the controversial materials in a closet” was a tactic employed in the 50’s. I’ve been accused of using the ALA’s 100 most frequently challenged/banned books list as a selection guide, but until this year had never even had a hint of a challenge to a library book. I hope this editorial in SLJ opens some eyes.