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LGBTQ librarians grapple with attacks on books - and on themselves

ALA documented the highest-ever number of titles targeted for censorship in 2023
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Chaz Carey poses for a photo at a library in Worthington, Ohio, Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Carey, a youth services librarian who is queer, knows firsthand how powerful books can be. Alison BechdelB次元官网网址檚 2006 graphic memoir B次元官网网址淔un Home,B次元官网网址 in which the author comes to grips with her sexual orientation, changed CareyB次元官网网址檚 life as a teenager. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)

Idaho librarian June Meissner was closing up for the day at the downtown Boise Public Library when a man approached her asking for help.

As an information services librarian, answering patronsB次元官网网址 questions is part of MeissnerB次元官网网址檚 day-to-day work, and serving the community is one of her favorite parts of the job.

But when the man got close enough, B次元官网网址渉e took a swing at me and tried to punch me in the head,B次元官网网址 said Meissner, a transgender woman. B次元官网网址淚 blocked it and he started yelling slurs and suggesting that he was going to come back and kill me.B次元官网网址

Worldwide Pride Month events are well underway to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights. But it is coming at a time when people who identify as LGBTQ+ say they are facing increasing difficulties at work, ranging from being repeatedly misgendered to physically assaulted.

Gender nonconforming library workers in particular, like Meissner, are also grappling with growing calls for book bans across the U.S., with books about gender identity, sexual orientation and race topping the list of most criticized titles and making the attacks all the more personal.

B次元官网网址淲hen we see attacks on those books, we have to understand that those are attacks on those kinds of people as well,B次元官网网址 said Emily Drabinski, who is the president of the American Library Association and is gay. B次元官网网址淭o have my identity weaponized against libraries and library workers, the people and institutions I care about the most, has made it a difficult and painful year.B次元官网网址

The ALA said it documented the highest-ever number of titles targeted for censorship in 2023 in more than 20 years of tracking B次元官网网址 4,240. That total surpassed 2022B次元官网网址檚 previous record by 65%, with Maia KobabeB次元官网网址檚 coming-of-age story B次元官网网址淕ender QueerB次元官网网址 topping the list for most criticized library book for the third straight year.

Lawmakers are increasingly considering lawsuits, fines, and even imprisonment for distributing books some regard as inappropriate, including in MeissnerB次元官网网址檚 home state of Idaho. Lawmakers there passed legislation that empowers local prosecutors to bring charges against public and school libraries if they donB次元官网网址檛 keep B次元官网网址渉armfulB次元官网网址 materials away from children. The new law, signed by Idaho Gov. Brad Little in April, will go into effect on July 1.

B次元官网网址淚 do think that a lot of that political speech around it does make things more dangerous and worse for me,B次元官网网址 Meissner said. B次元官网网址淚t is so much politicking and getting the general public riled up.B次元官网网址

MeissnerB次元官网网址檚 own attacker was arrested and convicted, and she says that while the vast majority of her interactions at work are positive, she still struggles to let her guard down and is constantly assessing whether a situation could turn unsafe.

B次元官网网址淎s somebody who is working face to face with the public and trying to help people as much as possible, that really does get in the way,B次元官网网址 she told The Associated Press, describing how she waits to make eye contact with a patron B次元官网网址渁nd then, based on what I see when they look at me, thatB次元官网网址檒l tell me whether or not I should just be on edge, be wary.B次元官网网址

Florida-based conservative nonprofit Moms for Liberty, which describes itself as a parental rights organization and refers to its members as B次元官网网址渏oyful warriors,B次元官网网址 has been at the forefront of a nationwide push to remove books that deal with race and gender identity.

But co-founder Tiffany Justice says the organization B次元官网网址 which she says has more than 300 chapters in 48 states and more than 130,000 active members B次元官网网址 is not anti-LGBTQ+, although Justice herself told the AP she thinks that the Q in the acronym, which stands for queer or questioning, B次元官网网址渘eeds to go into the trash bin.B次元官网网址 And according to the ALAB次元官网网址檚 Office for Intellectual Freedom, about 38% of book challenges that B次元官网网址渄irectly originatedB次元官网网址 from Moms for Liberty activity have LGBTQ+ themes.

Justice said Moms for Liberty challenges books like Gender Queer B次元官网网址 a graphic novel about a young personB次元官网网址檚 struggle with gender identity that contains illustrations of sexual contact, masturbation and a sex toy B次元官网网址 because they view the material as sexually explicit, not because they cover LGBTQ+ topics.

B次元官网网址淭he least interesting thing about a child should be their sexual orientation,B次元官网网址 Justice said. B次元官网网址淲hy are we flooding them with sexual content?B次元官网网址

Despite the thousands of petitions to censor books about gender and sex, legal standards for deeming materials obscene or harmful to minors B次元官网网址 and therefore not protected speech under the First Amendment B次元官网网址 are very specific and high, and courts have historically sided with libraries, according to Vera Eidelman, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who focuses on rights to free speech in the digital age.

B次元官网网址淭he mere fact that something is describing sex, describing nudity, even depicting those things, is not enough to make it qualify as obscenity,B次元官网网址 she said.

Regardless, the book banning movement has in many cases successfully restricted access to materials in which LGBTQ+ youth can see themselves depicted.

As of June 1, Louisiana libraries must allow parents or guardians to decide which books their child can check out. MB次元官网网址檌ssa Fleming, a public librarian in New Orleans who uses they/them pronouns, says the new law could make it even more dangerous for queer and trans kids, who are already at higher risk of being victims of violence, substance use, and suicide than their straight, cisgender peers. And losing access to LGBTQ+ themed books may cause kids to turn to less reliable sources like Reddit.

B次元官网网址淧ublic libraries could be offering as many ways as possible to make it less dangerous to learn about yourself, and the law just added another challenge,B次元官网网址 Fleming said.

Chaz Carey, a childrenB次元官网网址檚 librarian in Worthington, Ohio, knows firsthand how powerful books can be. Alison BechdelB次元官网网址檚 2006 graphic memoir B次元官网网址淔un Home,B次元官网网址 in which the author comes to grips with her sexual orientation, changed CareyB次元官网网址檚 life as a teenager.

B次元官网网址淚 felt seen. It was like my whole body just let out a breath,B次元官网网址 said Carey, who is queer and uses they/them pronouns. B次元官网网址淚t is just so important that these books remain on shelves. They save lives.B次元官网网址

Carey says being a childrenB次元官网网址檚 librarian is a dream job, but the rise in book challenges and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric takes a mental toll. They are frequently misgendered at work, including by some patrons who go out of their way to do so while airing their political beliefs.

B次元官网网址淭he political environment is just an extra kind of weight as we navigate our lives and our places in our community,B次元官网网址 said Carey, who chairs ALAB次元官网网址檚 Rainbow Roundtable, which aims to serve the information needs of LGBTQ+ people.

For Carey, what helps is B次元官网网址渢aking some time to feel sad, but then choosing queer joy and pride.B次元官网网址

Claire Savage, The Associated Press

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