Remarks Delivered at the July 2023 Sterling (KS) Carnegie Library Board Meeting
Earlier this week, at the city council meeting, I heard the mayor’s assertion that “reports of the library board directing a display to be removed from the library and reports of the library board banning certain literature” are erroneous.
However, in listening to an audio recording of a library board meeting that occurred after a board member requested a rainbow display be removed from the library, my takeaway was that although no vote was taken, the rest of the board sided with the Vice President that the library should not have rainbow displays during Pride month.
This calls into question some of the allegations that have been made about board interference with the book “Flight of the Puffin.” I’ve been unable to substantiate the claims, so I won’t repeat them in this public forum, but I do believe that there is at least some truth to the allegations.
I would be interested to know what would happen if I donated a book that a board member objected to — specifically, what the process would be if a board member found the book objectionable.
I read Flight of the Puffin and enjoyed it. If my kids were to bring the book home, I’m sure it would prompt healthy discussions. Flight of the Puffin encourages kids to act kindly even when they aren’t treated with kindness, and there’s an undercurrent of the Good Samaritan story where a character steps in to help a peer who is being bullied. Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read it, one of the teenage anti-bullying advocates isn’t one of the popular kids or one of the pious kids. No, the character is a non-binary houseless youth who does their best to uphold the dignity of others.
Those themes make Flight of the Puffin a timely read. The latest report on “Bullying and Suicide Risk among LGBTQ Youth” from the Trevor Project indicated that by any measure, LGBTQ youth experience bullying and threats of violence at a rate higher than that of their straight peers.
The justification I keep hearing for the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ voices in our community is that “we are a conservative town.” And I agree. Cristo-Conservatism is the loudest and most powerful group in Sterling, Kansas. That’s why people who are a part of that group likely don’t feel underrepresented if they come into the library and don’t see a religious display. Those displays are otherwise ubiquitous in our community to the point where we start public government meetings with prayers in the name of Jesus.
But for folks who fall outside the norm, public libraries — especially in places like Sterling that are not particularly diverse — are one of the few places where people can see their experiences reflected and their perspectives heard. Sometimes more eloquently than they can articulate themselves.
“We are a conservative town” is a sentence that COULD be finished in other ways.
For instance. I prefer, “We are a conservative town, so it must be challenging to live here if you fall outside of the Cristo-conservative norm, THUS we should highlight underrepresented voices so that all people feel welcome here, and perhaps we will be encouraged to learn from experiences and viewpoints that differ from our own.”
Recently, some of the loudest voices in Sterling have been particularly UNWELCOMING to our LGBTQ neighbors, which is unacceptable, full stop. However, it should be noted that the divisive laser focus on silencing LGBTQ voices was so intense that it also included the collateral damage of silencing and erasure of our neurodivergent AND our disabled neighbors.
Over the last month in particular, what’s been communicated is that we welcome our LGBTQ neighbors as long as they remain invisible. Otherwise, they’re not welcome in our parades or in our parking lots, and their experiences shouldn’t be highlighted in our public library.
There’s not much I can do about how people chose to exercise their religious liberty and individual freedoms in their churches and homes. That all falls squarely into “you do you” territory.
But Samaritan though I may be, I can extend a hand of hospitality to our LGBTQ neighbors and say I am glad you are here. And I can extend my other hand to anyone who chooses to join me in that expression. And then, hopefully, we can all work in chorus to ensure just policies are fairly administered by our public servants so that our most public spaces remain welcoming to ALL people.
Earlier this week, at the city council meeting, I heard the mayor’s assertion that “reports of the library board directing a display to be removed from the library and reports of the library board banning certain literature” are erroneous.
However, in listening to an audio recording of a library board meeting that occurred after a board member requested a rainbow display be removed from the library, my takeaway was that although no vote was taken, the rest of the board sided with the Vice President that the library should not have rainbow displays during Pride month.
This calls into question some of the allegations that have been made about board interference with the book “Flight of the Puffin.” I’ve been unable to substantiate the claims, so I won’t repeat them in this public forum, but I do believe that there is at least some truth to the allegations.
I would be interested to know what would happen if I donated a book that a board member objected to — specifically, what the process would be if a board member found the book objectionable.
I read Flight of the Puffin and enjoyed it. If my kids were to bring the book home, I’m sure it would prompt healthy discussions. Flight of the Puffin encourages kids to act kindly even when they aren’t treated with kindness, and there’s an undercurrent of the Good Samaritan story where a character steps in to help a peer who is being bullied. Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read it, one of the teenage anti-bullying advocates isn’t one of the popular kids or one of the pious kids. No, the character is a non-binary houseless youth who does their best to uphold the dignity of others.
Those themes make Flight of the Puffin a timely read. The latest report on “Bullying and Suicide Risk among LGBTQ Youth” from the Trevor Project indicated that by any measure, LGBTQ youth experience bullying and threats of violence at a rate higher than that of their straight peers.
The justification I keep hearing for the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ voices in our community is that “we are a conservative town.” And I agree. Cristo-Conservatism is the loudest and most powerful group in Sterling, Kansas. That’s why people who are a part of that group likely don’t feel underrepresented if they come into the library and don’t see a religious display. Those displays are otherwise ubiquitous in our community to the point where we start public government meetings with prayers in the name of Jesus.
But for folks who fall outside the norm, public libraries — especially in places like Sterling that are not particularly diverse — are one of the few places where people can see their experiences reflected and their perspectives heard. Sometimes more eloquently than they can articulate themselves.
“We are a conservative town” is a sentence that COULD be finished in other ways.
For instance. I prefer, “We are a conservative town, so it must be challenging to live here if you fall outside of the Cristo-conservative norm, THUS we should highlight underrepresented voices so that all people feel welcome here, and perhaps we will be encouraged to learn from experiences and viewpoints that differ from our own.”
Recently, some of the loudest voices in Sterling have been particularly UNWELCOMING to our LGBTQ neighbors, which is unacceptable, full stop. However, it should be noted that the divisive laser focus on silencing LGBTQ voices was so intense that it also included the collateral damage of silencing and erasure of our neurodivergent AND our disabled neighbors.
Over the last month in particular, what’s been communicated is that we welcome our LGBTQ neighbors as long as they remain invisible. Otherwise, they’re not welcome in our parades or in our parking lots, and their experiences shouldn’t be highlighted in our public library.
There’s not much I can do about how people chose to exercise their religious liberty and individual freedoms in their churches and homes. That all falls squarely into “you do you” territory.
But Samaritan though I may be, I can extend a hand of hospitality to our LGBTQ neighbors and say I am glad you are here. And I can extend my other hand to anyone who chooses to join me in that expression. And then, hopefully, we can all work in chorus to ensure just policies are fairly administered by our public servants so that our most public spaces remain welcoming to ALL people.