Clovis politicians claim to represent all while marginalizing LGBTQ people | Opinion

The calendar has long turned from June as Pride Month, the annual celebration of gay people, their history and their contributions.

But a controversy tied to the month lingers on at the Clovis City Council. Councilmember Diane Pearce continues to be troubled by a small display of books in the children’s section of the Clovis Public Library as part of Pride Month.

One was a biography about Alan Turing, the English mathematician and cryptographer who broke a Nazi code in World War II. He was later dismissed from service and prosecuted for being gay. Another book was entitled, “50 LGBQ+ people who made history.”

Some Clovis residents told Pearce their concerns about the display. In late June Pearce posted a warning on her Facebook account.

“Might want to wait until June is over to take your kids to the Clovis Public Library,” she posted.

Pearce knows that the library is not under city control, but rather is part of Fresno County’s library system. Even so, she led a council movement this past week to complain in a letter about the display of books to the county. Pearce and colleagues Vong Mouanoutoua and Drew Bessinger asked the county to find a “solution” to the situation.

On the opposite side were Mayor Lynne Ashbeck and councilmember Matt Basgall.

Ashbeck opposed the motion because she does not believe the city should get entangled in an issue that belongs to the county. Basgall agreed, adding he was concerned about who would decide what books are appropriate or not.

Though supportive of Pearce, Bessinger voiced a similar concern: “We are not giving direction, but asking them (the county) to look at this issue and make sure there is nothing inappropriate for kids. This is such a slippery slope, though. Who is the person who is going to make that determination? Do I trust their determination? This becomes a very difficult area.”

Ashbeck said the letter could be signed by the three supporters, without her or Basgall. Typically, city councils act with unanimity when writing to other government agencies. My bet is that the letter gets reconsidered.

Can LGBTQ display be legally minimized?

Here’s some questions I offer to further this debate:

▪ Is it legal for an LGBTQ display for Pride Month at a public facility like the Clovis library to be minimized, as Pearce seems to want to do?

She told me in an email that she had looked through several of the books “and found enough objectionable material to know a deeper review by the county is warranted.” By objectionable, she means “graphic sexual content and illustrated pornography.”

Pearce is quick to say she is not calling for a book ban. But she is walking a fine line. She does not want children exposed to what she sees as harmful material. So, who gets to decide what becomes off-limits?

One thing the courts have determined is that LGBTQ people are a protected class, at least as far as workplace discrimination goes. It would not be a stretch to see a lawsuit against the county if a Pride Month display is disallowed.

▪ Is the Clovis City Council the right forum for this to be considered?

Pearce says she was elected to represent the concerns of the community to other levels of government.

But all of our government agencies operate under the premise of “by the people, for the people.” Residents would be better off taking their concerns directly to county Supervisor Nathan Magsig, whose district includes Clovis. The library comes under his jurisdiction.

Ashbeck is right on this point: Leave public safety, streets and sidewalks and planning and development to City Hall.

▪ Is a Pride Month display so wrong?

For some Clovis residents, the display should not have been put up at all. But Clovis has LGBTQ residents who pay taxes and support the community through involvement. Many of them are likely parents of schoolchildren, or at least read books and use the library.

It used to be that conservatives believed in personal freedom — that a person’s sexuality was their own business. If a parent or grandparent objected, as in this case, the answer was to just avoid what was found distasteful.

Materials undergo scrutiny

I asked the county if Pearce was right about objectionable content. Susan Renfro, the library system’s community relations officer, said this in an email:

“While it is difficult to determine what each of our individual Fresno County residents would determine as being ‘graphic sexual content,’ we have policies and procedures in place to guide our decision-making process when purchasing materials.

“Our selectors consider age, social and emotional development, intellectual level, interest level, and reading level when purchasing children’s books. Additionally, our book suppliers are bound to adhere to the Miller Test, a legal test for determining whether expression constitutes obscenity. With over 1 million residents in Fresno County, we focus our efforts on ensuring a wide variety of materials to meet the needs and interests of all our library patrons.”

Besides Clovis, a Pride Month display in a children’s area was put up in the Fig Garden branch. No complaints surfaced there.

The issue of sending a letter will likely come back to the Clovis council for more discussion, so the issue is not over.

So here’s another question: Clovis leaders like to promote the slogan, “the Clovis way of life.” Does that truly mean for all?