The public library system for Burlington County, New Jersey, has ordered that all copies of Amy Sonnie’s Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology
, which the library director labeled as “child pornography,” be removed from library shelves.Library director Gail Sweet ordered the book’s removal without having followed a formal book challenge process. Instead, she acted on an informal complaint from a member of the local chapter of Fox News commentator Glenn Beck’s 9.12 Project. Emails (PDF: 11 pages/296 KB) obtained by American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey show that the complaint was made by Project member Beverly Marinelli, who is also credited with persuading Rancocas Valley Regional High School to ban the same book in May.
However, there's a very good follow-up at BTB that's worth a read: the way to confront those who want to sweep you under the rug is to call them on it -- loudly and publicly. Because what happens is you get this:
Meanwhile, Sweet contends that while they “always willing to reconsider things,” she called the library’s attempt to withdraw the books without public notice “a nonevent that has become one.”
Yeah, well, they'd love for it to remain a non-event, but we're not going to let them.
2 comments:
I support your efforts to oppose violations of rights. However, what has been reported by most sources is not what the actual facts are. For a little balance, take a look at what I wrote, after actually speaking with Gail Sweet, at "Et tu, Mary Minow? Then Fall, Gail Sweet!"
It wouldn't hurt to take a peek at this:
WILL UNWOUND #193: “Why do Librarians Hate Conservatives?” by Will Manley. (Or this by the same recognized library expert.)
I've done a first read through of your post and the first by Will Manley, and both strike me as off-point. I think when I've had time to think about the commentaries you've linked to, I'll do a follow-up post on this issue. There seem to be several pertinent points that you've tried to dismiss that I want to examine more carefully.
Post a Comment