A vocal minority who contested hundreds of books for obscene, pornographic and sexual conduct at Escambia County Public Schools libraries is now setting their sights on books at West Florida Public Libraries.
Is the county and its public library system caving to the pressure? The LGBTQ+ community and its supporters certainly think so after the director of library services decided to move two gay and transgender-themed books out of the juvenile section.
“It’s an institution designed to serve our entire community and that includes our vulnerable LGBTQ+ children who are already at increased risk for suicide and for homelessness,” said Pensacola resident Sarah Brummet. “To have this institution bow to these types of bigoted social pressures, which have already infiltrated our classroom libraries, is really alarming.”
Pick up a copy of Inweekly or visit us online for a deep dive into why the books were contested, why West Florida Public Libraries agreed to move them, why a county commissioner supported the removal, what type of precedent this sets and why decisions to remove books by the Escambia County School Board ultimately led to a lawsuit.