Petition Calls for Separating LGBTQ Materials in Iowa Library

ORANGE CITY, Iowa — Residents in northwest Iowa are fighting over a petition that calls on the public library to separate material dealing with LGBTQ issues and to request public input before acquiring such material.

Some expressed support for the Orange City Public Library’s integration of LGBTQ materials at a library board meeting Tuesday, the Sioux City Journal reported.

“There are gay kids, there are (transgender) kids in this town, and seeing their faces and seeing their lives mirrored in some of the books here means everything,” said Mike Goll, a resident.

But others shared reservations.

The petition was started by Terry Chi, an assistant psychology professor at Northwestern College, a liberal arts school in Orange City. The petition, which gathered more than 340 signatures in nine days, calls for labeling and separating materials involving LGBTQ issues within the library and providing a content rating service to help inform patrons’ decisions.

Read more: http://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2018/02/petition-calls-for-separating-lgbtq-materials-in-iowa-library/