Homophobes Checked Out LGBTQ Books In Protest That Backfired

Adrianne Peterson, the manager of the Rancho Peñasquitos branch of the San Diego Public Library, was taken aback when she received an email last month from two local residents regarding her Pride Month book display. Two local homophobes had checked out all of the LGBTQ books and refused to return them. The email read in part:

“To protect our children and the community, we have checked out the books in the pride display. We plan to keep these books checked out until the library agrees to permanently remove the inappropriate content from the shelves.”

But shortly after the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on the incident, Peterson received another, albeit more pleasant, surprise. Boxes and boxes of new copies of the books began to arrive at the library. Nearly 180 people, primarily locals, donated more than $15,000 to the library system. Those funds will now be matched by the city resulting in more than $30,000 toward more LGBTQ-themed materials and programming, including expanding the library system’s drag queen story hour events. Related: Judge Orders LGBTQ Books Returned To Libraries Read more at the New York Times. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1682856816789659649