How
convenient.
You
might think that more than one person would have objected
to Storms willingness to draft policy based on her emotions,
or at the very least asked if there were other topics
that make her uncomfortable. You might even think that
someone in a room full of people charged with dictating
library policy would have recommended a good book that
could help Storms talk to her child about sex. But that
didn’t happen.
The St. Petersburg Times reported that Commission
Chairman Jim Norman said that he, too, is “concerned”
with the displays and that “a policy discussion
is warranted given that commissioners approve how money
is spent on library operations.” Norman also reminded
the board that “commissioners have previously taken
a stand on such issues, voting roughly a decade ago to
yank county funding from the annual Gay and Lesbian Film
Festival.”
That
was all Storms needed to hear. On June 15, she went into
action.
After
hearing from angry gay rights advocates in a morning public
session, the commission entered into a long and arduous
debate. Here’s how it went, according to the St.
Petersburg Times:
Commissioner
Brian Blair double-checked Storms's wording.
Then
they voted.
The
board passed Storms’ proposal 5-1. On behalf of
inarticulate parents of 6-year-olds everywhere, Hillsborough
County officials voted to essentially make-believe that
gays and lesbians do not exist. And Storms’ “little
g, little p” quip at the end of her motion wasn’t
just a pithy close, it effectively prevents the county
from acknowledging gay pride all year long, not just during
Gay Pride Month, which is in June.
Like
so many before her, Storms acted on her desire to protect
a child, but all she really did was throw the baby out
with the bath water. There are plenty of things we all
need to protect children from, but information isn’t
one of them. Take away books and you take away knowledge.
Take away knowledge and…
There’s
absolutely nothing noble about removing books
from libraries or even making them less conspicuous. In
fact, I believe there’s an argument to be made that
denying someone information is abusive. It’s certainly
demoralizing, at the very least. Books provoke thought
and conversation. And conversation is something that should
be encouraged because an opinion requires that the person
giving it take responsibility for it.
Parents
should, indeed, know and have a say in what their young
children are reading. I can also appreciate that talking
to kids about sexuality can be very difficult. But so
can talking to kids about war, poverty, disease, racial
differences, religious differences, and any other social
issue they might want to know more about.
Children
will be met with great joy and deep sadness on the way
to becoming socially consciousness young adults. That’s
why it’s so important for parents to be informed
and extremely thoughtful in their approach to those topics,
and not avoid them completely. Parents have to talk more
to their kids, not less, regardless of what side of an
issue they take.
Let
me repeat that: Regardless of what side of an issue they
take.
Ms.
Storms' main reason for moving the displays—her
discomfort with the literature—is precisely why
the displays should remain. The relief she seeks and the
answers to her child’s questions, to every child’s
questions, are in books.
Did
Storms ever considering reading one of the books on the
display with her child, and then following that reading
with another book offering a different opinion? Does the
statement, “We’ll talk about it when you’re
older” not work on 6-year olds any more?
