The Germantown Library's Pride-themed exhibit sparked controversy. Now, the board is considering banning public use of the display case.
Germantown Library Director Trisha Smith has proposed changing the library's display, exhibit and posting policy so the public can no longer contribute to the display case.
The Germantown Community Library's existing policy allows the public to put up their own exhibits in the display case. In July, a 15-year-old Germantown resident decorated it to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride.
Complete with rainbows, pictures of gay celebrities, literature and definitions, he hoped it would help foster inclusivity and education, said his mother, who asked to remain anonymous.
That's when emails to the library came in from concerned community members, sparking an ongoing debate over what the library's display case policy should be.
In response, the Library Board decided to reevaluate its policy, planning to vote on changing the policy Aug. 24. However, Wednesday's meeting made it clear that the debate isn't over yet.
Some residents say the display is inappropriate, not showing the full view of the 'LGBTQ+ lifestyle'
The Pride display is evidence of a "crumbling civilization," one emailer wrote.
The flip side of the "LGBTQ+ world" should be shown, another said, including "pedophiles grooming them at a young age" and "testimonies of those who have left the LGBTQ+ lifestyle."
The concerns were brought to a Germantown Community Library Board on July 27, where the public also voiced their opinions in person.
Language used in the July exhibit — such as "gender fluid" and "Jesus had two dads and he turned out fine" — offended residents, raising questions of what could be displayed. Some said that content addressing sexuality shouldn't be where kids can see it.
Library director proposes to change display case policy
Some residents who spoke to the board on Wednesday urged members to keep the policy the same.
Linda Gould, a retired special education teacher from the Germantown School District, voiced support for the current policy. Backlash over the Pride display was "heartbreaking," she said.
"All voices should be heard," Gould said. "All voices. As a retired teacher from this community, I am outraged."
However, some residents said that even if the policy were to remain the same, the Pride-themed display went against the rule prohibiting "inappropriate or sexual" content in the display case.
After taking the public's concerns from the previous meeting into consideration, Smith drafted a proposal that would change how the display case could be used in the future.
"What (the new policy) does is not allow the public to rent out the display going forward," Smith said. "It limits the space in library and on library grounds to be used for library events, library information and displays by library staff."
Attorney advises revisions to policy
Attorney Brian Sajdak told the board the policy's language was not narrow enough to hold up in court.
For example, the policy says that the display must be for the benefit of the community, which can mean a multitude of things, he explained.
Sajdak said one sound optionwould be for the library to create the displays itself, instead of allowing for public use. People could give suggestions, but it would be up to the library as to what would go inside.
The library could choose to put up a Pride display, "but that doesn't mean that you go to the community and say, 'Hey, come on in and do it,' because now you're inviting somebody else to speak for you. But you could choose to speak the way that you wanted to speak," Sajdak said.
Another option would be to "tighten up" the policy's language.
"There's some discretion in (the rules) and there's some words that, as a lawyer, worry me little bit because they're not precise enough to really help us deal with the concerns that exist within the community," Sajdak said.
Smith and Sajdak will work together on a revised policy to be considered at the board's Sept. 28 meeting.
Family who created display board reacts to possible policy change
The mother of the teen who created the Pride display walked out of the Aug. 24 meeting in tears.
"I think it's a tragedy that (the board) would cave to the bullying of the small but loud extremist group," she told the Journal Sentinel.
She and her 84-year-old mother, who also attended the meeting, helped her son make the display"out of love," she said.
She reminded the board of a statistic from the Trevor Project, a national organization to support LGBTQ+ youth.
"If an LGBTQ youth has just one adult supporting them, there's a 40% reduction in suicide attempts," she said.
A Pride display accepting an LGBTQ child's identity could save their life, she said.
The Germantown mother told the Journal Sentinel that she's afraid of what's to come next for the library, like the removal of certain books.
The group of residents who spoke out against the Pride display at the Aug. 24 meeting declined to comment on the library director's proposal to change the policy.
Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Display case may be barred from public use after LGBTQ display controversy
