Now, generally the West Bend Community Memorial Library runs nice little pieces in the West Bend Daily News showcasing book recommendations and activities. I must have missed the article on GLBTQ Month. Oh, wait. I don't think our library publicized that. But it is certainly there for all your kids to see. Book after book of homosexual YA selections. Books with sexually explicit materials right there, enticing your child. My, we have gotten bold, haven't we? I know that the "A" word is a bit harsh, but I have to say it. It appears our library is doing what we thought all along. Advocating.
Here we have something more than just literature. We have advertising (another "A" word) for the Trevor Helpline for GLBTQ youth/minors. (For those who don't know the code, GLBTQ stands for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/questioning.)
Here's a YA (young adult) homosexual book being encouraged to minors in the Gay History Month display:
These are all Young Adult homosexual books for minors. Do I sense another "A" word coming on?
Could it be........agenda?
This Facebook info states the primary mission of the group is to "promote" GLBTQ information. Indeed. And our library just happens to facilitate!
Let's toss in homosexual materials for the little children, too. You know, the ones that can't even read yet.
How about exposing those bullied celebrities, too. Really get our point across. Nice display, YA Zone!
So here you have it....many of the sexually explicit books not only in your YA Zone, but promoted by your very own library.
Parents, please accompany your children and know what is being shoved in their faces. Realize that your library is NOT A SAFE PLACE. Children are being exploited every day, and not just on the streets, in the inner cities, or on school playgrounds. It's right in your own public library. BE FOREWARNED.
Naturally, the "H" word and "B" word will be slung my way shortly. (homophobe and bigot) Not so, dear ones. I just have an aversion to pornographic sex acts being shotgunned out to minor children. You know, like most of the nation. The ones that actually use ratings to alert parents to impending inappropriate materials. But we wouldn't want to step on a minors "right" to free speech, now, would we? ;-)
11 comments:
I am one of the creators of the Safe Space facebook page. The idea of this page is to let people know that whoever they are or whatever their sexual preferences are, they are accepted by people in their own community. Since people like yourself are so offended by what people feel romantically and sexually towards another person we have to "advocate" for those whose voices are often stomped on.
If people like yourself did not speak in such a disgusted and humiliating way towards people who identify as LGBTQ or their allies we would not need to have any displays of any kind. The point is that it is none of your business what someone's sexual preferences are. However, since you feel it necessary to make these youth feel shunned, I feel it necessary to let them know that they are okay just as they are.
As far as "advertising", the Trevor Project is a non profit organization that "promotes" young people feeling they have support when they feel suicidal. It is a support network and hotline for people who want to kill themselves. This self hatred stems from people like yourself making those youth feel so unwanted in society.
You printed my flyer and email address kind of small, so you are welcome to contact me directly at sjschloemer@yahoo.com
Shana Schloemer
Dear Terrifed Person,
The reality of the situation is this: gay people exist. They always have. (And please note: civilization is still going strong). Your children will go to school with them, work alongside them, and be friends with them. There is nothing you can do to avoid this, short of locking them up and indoctrinating them with the insane rantings of religious extremism until they're 18.
Children can either learn to understand gays and to treat them as human beings, or they can be taught to fear and hate gays. Which does your system of beliefs point to: "understand and love" or "fear and hate"?
A similar idea can be applied to human sexuality: either it is something to be feared and avoided, or it is something to be understood and treated with the careful respect it deserves.
If you really think your children don't hear confusing things about sex on the playground, you are severely deluded. The best way to deal with this (pretty much universally agreed upon, by every actually-qualified person currently alive) is to gradually, reasonably talk to your children about it.
The material in the Young Adult section is completely age-appropriate, and will help children understand and come to terms with some of the questions they undoubtedly have. It is your job as a parent to help and be sure they understand these things.
About the "agenda": how do you imagine this works? Do you believe there is a Council of Gayness that sits around scheming up plans to take over the world and enslave all straight people? It make zero sense, and you really should examine your thoughts on this more closely.
About "advocating": what are they advocating? Understanding? Information? Good, that's what libraries are for. Or are you under the impression that reading some of these books is going to make a child gay? If that's it, do you understand how ridiculous that is? A person is not magically hypnotized by evil demon words in tricksy Young Adult books into finding the opposite sex attractive.
Oh, also: you actually complained about a help line for GLBTQ youth/minors. What exactly would you suggest as an alternative? Suicide? Maybe you've seen the news lately, it seems to be an increasingly popular option.
If you are called Homophobe and Bigot, it is not undeserved... but I believe there are more accurate words for you: Ignorant and Afraid. It is pitiable, and I hope you someday manage to open your eyes to the damage you're doing.
Not that any reason is owed, but I have not been home, and I have had link problems with my blog, which have now been fixed. I don't hover over my blog waiting to jump on comments, nor do I feel that I have to post every rude comment that comes my way. If you have something to contribute that I feel like posting, I'll post it. If I don't feel like it, I won't. If you don't like it, well....the obvious.
Maria, seriously? I have seen you carry on with reasonable discourse that would have previously been considered. You have lowered yourself to the standards of others, though, and this is truly disappointing. I saw you as someone of much higher integrity, with simply a difference of opinion. You may want to reconsider your public commentaries elsewhere as they are damaging to your otherwise admirable efforts.
Response to follow.
This display by the West Bend Library lends credence to one thing only, and that is that the only support a gay person could possibly want is affirmative. Do you see books or materials that assist homosexuals who want to leave this lifestyle? How about books about the ramifications/dangers of homosexual activity? I see nothing from PFOX, though they have offered, and still do offer, free books and materials. What about Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, Exodus International? There are many organizations that offer this opposing information, but advocacy appears to lead the way at our library. Previous posts of mine have provided plenty of evidence to that statement.
"In November, 2003, the CDC stated that HIV infection rates had risen in 29 states. There are an stimated
40,000 new HIV infections yearly with 70% of these being among men. Of those men who are infected, 60% are infected through homosexual sex; 25% through IV drug abuse; and 15% through heterosexual sex."
It is not the public library's place to dish the goods on accepting gay sex as a healthy and acceptable way for kids to live. It's not. The continual reinforcement to minor children about who to have sex with is what I find inexcusably inappropriate.
Not only that, Ginny, but the American College of Pediatricians has recently launched a website cautioning schools about how they deal with these issues. As a nurse, I appreciate the website that informs the public with regard to health issues. The website is: http://factsaboutyouth.com/
Among the important questions addressed on the Facts site are:
* What are the science-based facts about the development of non-heterosexual attractions and gender confusion in youth?
* What is a school's (I add, Public Library's)proper role in dealing with students who are experiencing sexual orientation and gender confusion issues?
* How can schools better assist a student and his or her family in dealing with these issues?
This is from the pamphlet, The Top Ten Myths about Homosexuality:
Myth No. 1:
People are born gay.
Fact:
The research does not show that anyone is “born gay,” and suggests instead that homosexuality results from a complex mix of developmental factors.
http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF10F01.pdf
The "Facts About Youth" page and the "American College of Pediatricians" are both cleverly disguised organizations that seem scientific but have an obvious bias toward conservative values (i.e., abstinence before marriage, mother-father family unit, etc.). Therefore their statements about people being born gay or not can't really be seen as 100% scientific fact. In addition, have you ever called the Trevor Project hotline? Maybe they do provide resources and help for those who wish to "leave" the lifestyle (as BS as that statement is).
Well, facts are facts. Many have left the homosexual lifestyle. And there are several groups out there to offer support, such as 'Exodus International' and 'Love Won Out'.
There is no "gay gene".
Just curious Pagealicious, What makes you so opposed to waiting until marriage for sex, and a family with a mother and a father? Both are from the Lord to us (you too). Walk in His ways and be blessed.
Myth No. 2:
Sexual orientation can never change.
Fact:
Thousands of men and women have testified to experiencing a change in their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. Research confirms that such change does occur—sometimes spontaneously, and sometimes as
a result of therapeutic interventions.
from: http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF10F01.pdf
"Just curious Pagealicious, What makes you so opposed to waiting until marriage for sex, and a family with a mother and a father? Both are from the Lord to us (you too). Walk in His ways and be blessed."
I never said anywhere that I was *opposed* to waiting for marriage or having a mother/father family unit. Both of those things are great. I was just pointing out that they are things related to so-called "conservative values," along with anti-gay sentiment. These are all things espoused by those supposedly "scientific" websites you linked to.
In any case, whether there is a gay gene or not, the point is that the library doesn't have any sort of evil "agenda" simply because it is showcasing books about LGBT individuals. Do they have a racial agenda when they showcase books for Black History Month, or a gendered agenda when they showcase books for Women's History Month, etc.?
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