Wake County Library approves new review policy after complaints about LGBTQ books
This story was updated on March 25, 2022.
An LGBTQ book removed from Wake County Public Libraries was returned earlier this year while Wake County reviewed its complaint process.
A new version of the process was approved Friday by Wake County Manager David Ellis.
“The updated process ensures we have opportunities to receive diverse input before making any decisions,” Wake County Public Libraries director Mike Wasilick said in a March press release. “Our mission is to instill the love of reading and foster the pursuit of knowledge for the residents of Wake County – and we are committed to doing so in a clear, inclusive way.”
“Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, was temporarily removed in mid-December after the county received a complaint. Since then the county has been both praised and criticized for removing it.
“The library system created this process in 2005, and since then, national best practices have changed,” Wasilick said earlier this year. “We recognized it was time to modernize our procedures and ensure they’re inclusive, open and supportive of a public library that welcomes all.”
The book went back into circulation in January while the county took another look at its review policy. That new revised policy will be used to review “Gender Queer” and “Lawn Boy,” another book that drew a complaint but was allowed to remain on the shelves.
“Gender Queer” is a graphic novel, or story told in a comic-strip format, about the author’s journey of identifying as nonbinary and asexual. It and other LGBTQ books have been criticized by some parents and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson for its content.
An analysis by The News & Observer found “a few sexual scenes in this book, as well as a few illustrations involving nudity and erotic scenarios.”
“WCPL is committed to thoroughly reviewing titles when we receive a formal request from the community,” a Wake County spokesperson said in mid-December. “After the review, WCPL determined that the book does contain explicit illustrations that do not align with WCPL’s selection policy. This is the only book that WCPL has pulled in the 2021 calendar year.”
After the decision, the ACLU of North Carolina, Equality NC and the LGBT Center of Raleigh released a joint statement that condemned the decision.
“Our public libraries should be an information haven for all people in our community, not sites of censorship,” according to the statement. “The coordinated effort throughout the country to denigrate books that center LGBTQIA+ issues and voices from libraries and schools is harmful and unconstitutional, flying in the face of the fundamental principles of the First Amendment.”
How the new policy will work
The Wake County Board of Commissioners was briefed about the change during Monday’s work session.
The new policy requires a complaint be reviewed by nine librarians from a variety of backgrounds who will read the challenged books and gather information, including from the American Library Association.
The committee will decide whether the challenged book should remain, be reclassified to a different section or removed. Any decision will be made in consultation with the county attorney’s office.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 4:37 PM.
