Community, employees condemn Greenville County library board of trustees at citizen forum
In a forceful rebuke to the Greenville County Library System's embattled board of trustees, nearly a dozen people spoke out Tuesday night against the board's anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and proposals, citing "hateful" and "transphobic" language and calling for the removal of three trustees.
The comments, made by community members and library system employees at Greenville County Council’s monthly citizen communication forum, follow outrage towards the library board’s Materials Committee, which on Monday advanced a proposal restricting children’s access to books with transgender characters and themes.
Monday’s proposal would circumscribe literature available in the library system’s juvenile and young adult collections, transferring materials with “gender transition ideologies” into other collections that require an adult-access library card to borrow.
Marcia Moston, a materials committee member, spoke in favor of the proposal, calling children’s books with transgender themes “life-threatening for our youth.”
Susan Ward, president of PFLAG Greenville, an advocacy organization for members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, described her comments as “a shockingly transphobic rant.”
“She doesn’t know the first thing about so-called gender transition ideology,” said Ward, who has a transgender son.
Ward, like several of the individuals who commented Tuesday, referenced the high suicide rates among LGBTQ+ youth and expressed concern that the board’s proposal and rhetoric will alienated an already-marginalized population.
“That kind of speech puts my son at risk along with every member of the LGBTQ+ community,” Ward said.
Previous reporting: Greenville County Library considers banning 24 books, faces LGBTQ+ censorship allegations
Employees and advocates: Greenville County Library System has 'toxic' board leadership
Greenville County Library System employees: Members of library board 'bigoted,' should be removed
Notably, two current library employees also spoke out against the board on Tuesday.
“LGBTQ+ materials have been moved to a section where they will be inaccessible to the people who need them most,” said Jules Ray, calling the proposal “hateful” and “homophobic.”
Ray, who is queer, said she has documented discrimination at work but has never seen her complaints addressed.
“Every day, I have to reckon with the fact that the members of the library board would rather I not exist,” she said.
Ray was one of several speakers to request the removal of Moston, chair Allan Hill, and trustee James Hoard.
Tory Sherrill, another library employee, expressed similar outrage.
“Members of the board are bringing their own set of conspiratorial beliefs and homophobic ideas to the decision-making process,” she said “I was horrified by the language used to describe transgender people. The members of the board are homophobic and bigoted.”
The full board of trustees will meet at noon on Monday, March 27 at Hughes Main Library to vote on the proposed policy changes.
Tuesday's comments follow months of controversy for the Greenville County Library System
The Greenville County Library System board has attracted controversy around its anti-LGBTQ+ actions for months, beginning with an order to remove Pride Month displays from six library branches last June.
This decision, which prompted significant public backlash, resulted in resignations by both library employees and a board member, Laura Baker.
“The lack of a response from either the Executive Director or the board chair to correct the misrepresentation that this was a board decision is appalling,” Baker wrote in her resignation letter.
Neither Hill nor James have responded to multiple emailed requests for additional comment.
“It’s toxic management from the top,” said one of three current library employees who spoke to The Greenville News on condition of anonymity.
The Greenville County Library System employs nearly 250 staff, making it the second-largest system in South Carolina. But employees worry that the library’s integrity has been compromised by its board. They fear the library’s position as a trusted source of public information is in danger.
“I don’t have faith in this board,” an employee said.
Check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville County library board of trustees rebuked by community
