The Greenville County Library Board voted this past Monday to make a controversial change to its Collection, Development and Maintenance policy concerning books deemed objectionable by a large portion of the community.
Books that “celebrate, portray or affirm gender transitioning, whether the changes are social or physical,” will be moved from the young adult (13-17) section of the library to the adult section.
This policy change does not remove the books from the library. Parents will still be able to check these materials out for their children. However, minors will no longer be able to check these books out on their own unless they have a card authorized by their parents that would allow them to do so.
During the comments period, one woman from the audience lamented this move by the board, claiming that it violates the rights of her child to be able to check out such books on her own. In her hand she held a thin children's book called It's Pride Day.
Board chairman Allan Hill asked her if she had been able to check out the book for her child to read. She replied in the affirmative.
Parents who object to these books being so freely available to their children are not trying to ban the books outright from the library. Rather, they simply want to have a say in the books that their children can check out. They perceive that members of the LGBTQ and transgender community are actively trying to promote transgender ideas to impressionable young people.
Board member Joe Poore was vocal in his objections to the policy change. He objected to the idea that a book that merely mentioned a transgender person on passing might also be included.
A motion was offered to send the policy change back to committee until a constitutional attorney could look at the policy, but it did not pass.
