Clovis council member sends letter of concern over LGBTQ+ books

Stepheny Price
·2 min read

CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – After a nearly three-hour heated discussion over a letter that would be sent to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors regarding some LGBTQ+ books written for kids at the local library, it was decided that each council member could send an individual letter if they wanted – and one city council member is doing so.

Three Clovis City Council members, Diane Pearce, Drew Bessinger, and Pro-Tem Vong Mouanoutoua, said they had gotten a number of complaints from residents about books at the Clovis Library featuring what they call “sexual graphic content” and they wanted to send a letter to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to look into the matter.

‘Let’s do nothing’: War of words at Clovis council meeting

Despite the City council voting to do nothing with the letter, Councilwoman Pearce took to Facebook to share the letter that she is going to submit.

In a Facebook post on Pearce’s city council member page, she stated that at Tuesday night’s Clovis City Council meeting, she voted against a group letter from the Council to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors regarding a review of sexual material in the children’s section of the Clovis Branch of the Fresno County Library.

Councilwoman Pearce, who first brought attention to the books in question back in June, says the issue was never about what books should or should not be in the library, but just about what content is and is not appropriate for children.

LGBTQ+ OK for kids? Clovis council clash on ‘protecting innocence’

“While I appreciate the work our City Manager put into the group letter, it fell short of what a majority of the Council agreed to at our meeting on August 7. Instead, it was decided that those Councilmembers who wished to send a letter would do so on an individual level,” says Councilwoman Pearce in her post.

Pearce goes on to say, “I support this outcome as these letters will now come directly from the Councilmembers instead of the City Manager and the process won’t be bogged down in meeting after meeting and revision after revision. The speed of government shouldn’t slow the process of protecting our kids.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com.