LGBTQ+ advocacy group seeks change after Greenville library took down Pride displays

After the Greenville County Library System made a decision — that was later reversed — to take down all LGBTQ+ displays during Pride month, an Upstate nonprofit wants to use the incident to advocate for more representation.

On Wednesday, employees were told to take down Pride displays after the board of trustees decided to remove them based on multiple complaints from the public. By Thursday, the decision was reversed, according to a joint statement from Upstate SC Pride, Upstate SC LGBT+ Chamber, and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Calls and emails to the staff and board of Greenville County Library System were not immediately returned.

When reached for comment, Sidney Cates, vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, said in an emailed statement that he supported the actions of the board.

The executive director with the Greenville County Library Systems made individual phone calls to each branch to avoid documenting requests for the displays, according to Tyler Prescott with the Upstate SC LGBT+ Chamber.

After tears and thoughts of what her plans were at the library, assistant librarian Victoria Slessman said she decided to quit.

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Slessman, who worked at the Simpsonville library said she was used to the complaints but there were just as many praises from those in support of the LGBTQ+ communities.

"How does suppressing the Pride displays support the LGBTQ community? How does it support GCLS' supposed policy of not discriminating on the basis of sex or gender? Need I also point out that of the 11 Board members, only 2 are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and only 3 are women? Our decision-makers do not reflect the demographics of our community in any regard," she said in an emailed statement to The Greenville News.

Slessman said those at the library who identify on the queer spectrum felt hurt and that taking the displays down went against what Greenville County libraries stood for.

"I got my Master's in Library Science and we had entire projects on inclusivity and creating a safe space for marginalized people in the community," Slessman said.

Her Master's degree education was sponsored by the Greenville County Library System.

Slessman said many of her co-workers including herself would wear rainbow pins on their lanyards and badges in support.

"You could see it in their (kids) faces like, 'Thank God you're an ally,' and say, 'I really like your pin.' You know that they felt seen," Slessman said.

Recently, Slessman said she asked to include pronouns in their email signatures and was denied multiple times.

The advocacy groups think there is a larger problem other than the reversal and hopes that the Greenville County Library System makes changes.

The advocacy groups want the library system to form an LGBTQ+ task force of all levels of library employment to review library system internal policies related to discrimination and form a new diversity statement. They're also wanting an audit of the LGBTQ+ literature collection, to allow employees to use pronouns in their emailed signatures, and to have a renewed commitment to documentation to remove materials and displays to be internally documented.

"We're just asking for transparency and accountability," Prescott said.

Within the task force, they're looking to review the GCLS policies making sure that those policies protect sexuality and gender for employees and patrons.

A 2015 diversity statement from the library system, stated that "The County of Greenville welcomes, values, and respects differences and commonalities of

all people. Advancing Diversity and inclusion means putting into action our values

regarding diversity."

The Library Bill of Rights from the American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas and provide access to information for all people.

"Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender peoples’ access to libraries may be limited or prohibited by many issues," according to the ALA.

The ALA strongly and repeatedly calls for public libraries to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and support their access to information, Slessman said.

The point of a display is to increase the awareness and visibility of items for those who may need them, she said.

"We were not promoting anything or telling people how to raise their children or trying to 'indoctrinate' anyone," Slessman said.

Slessman said Pride displays were the only displays to be taken down by the Greenville County Library Systems. At the Simpsonville branch in 2021, Slessman said they hid their Pride display by putting it on a fixture facing away from the main door.

Tamia Boyd is a Michigan native who covers breaking news in Greenville. Email her at tboyd@gannett.com, and follow her on Twitter @tamiamb.  

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Pride displays taken down at Greenville library; group seeks change