American Library Association ‘culture war’ reaches Sarasota
Speakers want county to end its affiliation
The culture war against the American Library Association landed in Sarasota on Tuesday, as several speakers urged the County Commission to end its affiliation with and financial support for the American Library Association and Florida Library Association because of concerns raised over reading materials available to youth in libraries.
The speakers who addressed the board during the board’s public comment period asked that the issue be brought up for a vote at its Nov. 14 meeting.
Citing policies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, Michelle Pozzie called the ALA part of a “bigger umbrella of three-letter organizations that, believe it or not, push ideology over explicit material and not age appropriate material as well as DEI talking points – which is a pet peeve of our governor, so it should be, as a reflection, for you, too.”
Pozzie, who said she homeschooled two children, said libraries are not safe for children because of books that can found there, including the 2019 graphic novel “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” by Maia Kobabe.
“Let me be clear, no one wants to ban books or censor speech but filth and ideology should not be funded in the taxpayer’s expense,” Pozzie said. “It’s not my responsibility to fund a book that sits on a shelf that teaches young people – in cartoon images – to give oral sex.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s before noon but that makes me sick and the ALA and the FLA are an arm of a bigger movement to bring inappropriate content into our libraries.”
A Sarasota County spokeswoman said via email Tuesday that Sarasota County pays annual dues of $1,300 to the American Library Association and $2,673 to the Florida Library Association.
Neither association dictates media stocking decisions in libraries for Sarasota County; all of those decisions made by local librarians.
Severing those ties would mean the loss of “discounts on job posting services, publications, and professional training opportunities,” the spokeswoman said.
The American Library Association is the largest professional organization in the world focused on libraries.
It advocates against the banning of books and promotes the “Freedom to Read.” as well as “Banned Books Week,” which this year was Oct. 1-7.
Sarasota County’s membership in the Florida Library Association provides the library with 10 registrations for the annual state conference to learn about “best practices, trends, and new services for public libraries.”
Conni Brunni, president of the Sarasota County Republican Assembly Chapter, as well as leader of Sarasota’s Moms for Liberty chapter, said via text that the push for the commission to defund the two library associations is an extension of a push by the Christian Family Coalition fostered through the Sarasota County Republican Assembly Chapter.
Speaker Linda Weinrich criticized youth reading challenges offered online through the library along with https:// www.beanstack.org.
“I’ve looked at summer reading books that were on display in our bookstores for years – witchcraft books, there were books on pornography, all kinds of books,” said Weinrich, who said she was concerned children would be exposed to reading things that would cause them to “become uncomfortable and commit suicide.”
Clayton Taylor talked about his son being exposed to reading inappropriate materials in the syllabus of a since-departed English teacher at Venice High School, also urged not contributing financially to the two library associations through county affiliation with them.
“This country was founded on virtues,” Taylor said. “As part of that we need to protect the innocence of our children and the rights of our parents.”
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing in Washington last month titled, ”Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature.” Republicans criticized Democrats for the hearing, accusing them of trying to intimidate parents trying to speak out for their child. Democrats said the intimidation was coming from the minority of parents and a barrage of political outside interests trying to remove schools’ books, many of them featuring diverse characters and topics.
Florida was invoked multiple times during the fray, the controversy-mired state providing ammunition for both sides.
The committee’s chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., enumerated those issues.
“Book banning has reached new heights over the past two years,” Durbin said. “Local leaders in states such as Texas, Florida, Utah, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and others have all recently enacted legislation facilitating banning books in local school districts and libraries.” School districts across Florida have purged titles from their library shelves since DeSantis signed the Curriculum Transparency Act last year. It came as
COVID-19 controversies brought more attention to what was happening in schools, especially from conservative activists and groups like Moms for Liberty.