Catholic Org. Encourages Parents to Check Out LGBTQ Library Books in Protest

In a creative new attack on Pride, the Catholic organization Catholic Vote started encouraging their readers to “reclaim public libraries” through their Hide the Pride campaign. The movement relies on parents to check out books from the Pride displays of their local library and refuse to return them.

In an online resource for parents, the organization states, “It’s June! Do you see rainbow-trans-BLM flags everywhere? Including in your public, taxpayer-funded spaces? We do. And we are meeting the challenge head-on.”

The resource goes on to include a step-by-step guide for parents who wish to protest the availability of LGBTQ books at the library. These ideas include checking out LGBTQ books, hiding them on a high shelf in their home that small children cannot access, and writing letters in protest of these books being offered in libraries at all.

On its website, Catholic Vote claims that a growing number of American parents are opposed to their children learning about LGBTQ people as a part of their education. However, this is contrary to a poll from earlier this year that showed, despite the continued debate on the subject, acceptance for LGBTQ people in all aspects, including education, has improved.

Adam Sass, the author of a 2020 young adult novel titled Surrender Your Sons about a group of queer youth who are sent to an island conversion camp, speaks up about protests like Hide the Pride:

“Restricting access to LGBTQ-centered books hurts kids,” Sass says. “It hurts queer kids because it robs them of the various mirrors they need to figure out who they are, give voice and form to their feelings, and feel less alone. It also hurts straight kids because it robs them of insight they might get into their queer siblings or friends. They want kids afraid, and they want them in hiding—not because Jesus said it. They do it because they like it.”

While Catholic Vote encourages participants to write letters opposing the inclusion of LGBTQ books at their local library, the mass checkouts of queer media could backfire, leading libraries to believe that the trend is indicative of the need for more queer media in circulation. If you want to do something to counteract the work of protestors, take a trip down to your local library to engage with some of their Pride offering,s and maybe write a letter of support for their Pride display.