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A Utah public library confirmed to Digital that an LGBTQ-themed children’s book highlighted by a conservative outlet is part of its collection for its “smallest patrons” and is intentionally kept “central and easily accessible,” while pushing back on claims that the book was on display.
“I can confirm that the library does own a copy of ‘Pride Is Love’ along with the other small board books that were pictured in the post you referenced,” Carla Z. Gordon, director of library services at Provo City Library, told Digital in a statement Tuesday.
“They are not on display,” Gordon added. “They are shelved in bins that contain over 2,500 other board books (any that are currently checked in). The post describes them as being ‘central and easily accessible,’ which is very true. These are books for our smallest patrons and we make them easy to find.”
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A librarian shelves books in the children’s section at the City of Santa Clarita Public Library Valencia branch in Santa Clarita, California, U.S., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
On Monday, The Cougar Chronicle, which identifies itself as providing “independent conservative news and opinion at BYU,” posted a photo of the book “Pride Is Love,” with a caption that read, “EXCLUSIVE: The Provo City Library children’s section is promoting radical gender theory, critical race theory, and other progressive propaganda to Provo’s children.”
The thread also included photos of other LGBTQ children’s books, including titles such as “Pride Puppy!,” “It’s a They!,” “My Two Dads and Me,” and another called, “My Moms Love Me.”
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The Amazon page for the book, “Pride is Love,” says it is intended for babies through age three and is about a girl and her two dads as they prepare to march in a Pride parade.
Children’s books that are fighting for survival at public schools because of their LGBTQ content are displayed at the annual Pride Town Hall at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, MD, May 21, 2022. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Similarly, “My Two Dads and Me,” is also intended for babies through age three and shows the day-to-day of LGBTQ fathers and their children through everyday routines, from breakfast and trips to the park, to bath time and bedtime.
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In her statement, Gordon referenced a portion of the library’s website she said has been created to help parents select materials that match their family values.
Gordon also highlighted the library’s Selection Policy, which is to “collect, organize, and make easily available to the people of the community materials which will help them in the pursuit of education, information, and the creative use of leisure time.”
“Within the limits of space and budget, the collection offers patrons materials in a choice of format, treatment, and level of difficulty,” she added. “In this way, most individual library needs can be met and service provided to individuals of all ages.”
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A Provo, Utah library received criticism for having LGBTQ books for young children to read. (In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
“These particular books are not currently on display, but we do have many displays throughout the library that try to highlight books available,” Gordon said. “We sometimes use holidays, observances, visiting authors, popular topics, and completely random themes all in attempt to promote our collections.”
“As mentioned in the Selection Policy, we do try to represent differing perspectives on many topics,” she added. “Gender, sexuality, and race are all topics that have a variety of perspectives, so we do own books representing those differing voices.”
“We do receive complaints from parents and community members about materials in the collection. The process is outlined in the policy referenced above,” Gordon added. “When we receive these concerns, we review the materials and follow the process to either retain, move, or discard items.”
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Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, appeared to express concern about the situation in a Monday post on X, sharing the thread from The Cougar Chronicle and writing, “Come on, Provo You’re better than this.”
