When a library staff in a west Michigan township refused to remove its books containing LGBTQ themes, residents voted to defund their only library.
The Patmos Library in Jamestown Township, outside of Grand Rapids, lost 85% of its operating budget after an Aug. 2 vote when its funding was up for renewal. A conservative Christian group had campaigned against the library because of books it has deemed inappropriate for children.
The issue will be back on the ballot in November — one last time to save the library — when residents will vote again on the millage. If it doesn't pass, the library will likely close.
The saga illustrates a growing trend of book banning debates across the country that center on LGBTQ books. While banning books is a decades-old practice, conservative groups have recently focused on removing ones that center on sexuality and gender identity, along with race and religion.
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This fight has come to a head at Patmos.
“They’re protesting all LGBTQ books that are on our shelves,” said Larry Walton, library board president. "They want it to ban books, which is unacceptable. We, the board, will not ban the books.”
Out of about 67,000 materials, about 90 pieces "could be relative to LGBTQ," Walton said, which is just 0.001% of the library's collection.
Ahead of the millage vote, a Christian group called Jamestown Conservatives placed large signs in the township urging residents to vote no , citing concerns the library was "grooming" children with books containing explicit material and LGBTQ themes.
Das war ein Vorspiel nur, dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.
Get a fucking gun and link up with people you can trust.