New rules for Reform-run libraries after Pride row

Armed Forces Day (formerly Veteran's Day) is an American import. Object to that too?

And without getting all "When's International Men's Day", South Asian Heritage Month is July - but then you presumably already knew that.

https://southasianheritage.org.uk/

'An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him
The moment he talks he makes some other Englishman despise him'

And at the moment political beliefs are so divisive that they cannot be represented in spaces and facilities intended to be equally welcoming to all.

It's a shame. But it's one of the many things transactivism has broken on its noisy, aggressive and destructive way. These things existed within a society that knew where the lines and boundaries were, and that only works until you have people who want to break those lines for their own benefit and lack the capacity to value anyone else. #whywecan'thavenicethings.

Thanks for that.

It's what's happened in the US and now the UK is where identity politics has taken over, where we seem to sneer at unifying national events and instead think that events that represent one particular segment of society is preferred.

Black history month is not inclusive and leads to the same old questions "what about white history month", the same with Pride and LGBT+² History Month "what about straight month" etc.

I think the last national event that seemed truly inclusive was the Olympics. Most Royal events are sneered at now.

And earlier, too, if you mean open to all rather than publicly funded. Chetham's in Manchester was the first in 1653, established by a "billionaire" mill owner with instructions that it was to open to anyone.

You are so ignorant. Can you not be bothered to research the establishment of libraries by benefactors?

The UK has twice as many South Asians - due to the Empire and Commonwealth - as it does Blacks (African and West Indian)

Black History Month is an American import that should be dropped from the UK calendar.
American kids do not learn about living under the Blitz, I fail to see why UK kids need to learn about Rosa Parks when the UK race situation was utterly different.

Libraries should be places to work and read and where children and their carers can get books to look at.

All of the themed events are virtue signalling and money wasting.

Gosh, I must have hallucinated our well-stocked, well run (by the council) smallish town public library in the 1950s. It had a particularly good children’s section. And of course the much larger and more imposing library in the nearest city.

This ahistorical nonsense that ignores the development of public libraries from the 19th century onwards.

Yeah I didn't know they were in them. But they should still be able to celebrate all the cultures of the local community. Black History and Pride can still be celebrated. Without being political. Presuming some of the community are either/or brown or gay or just interested in social history.

One of the things that bores me is how political partisan things are. If Reform said that they support Gaza or stopping climate change then the Green Party would start moaning.

There is a Save Our Libraries group in Essex to stop libraries being closed. They have spent their resources this year on petitions and protests over the banning of Pride in libraries, which has got nothing to do with libraries staying open. I think the local Lib Dems are heavily involved, and a lot of nonsense over saying Nazis burning books in the 1930's because Pride is not promoted.

If the other parties don't like losing votes then they should look at what they did to make them lose voters.

Then we agree!

My local libraries became a BLM-fest, which is not about being black but is a specific anti-capitalist, anti-carceral movement.

Pride in recent years hasn’t been about just being gay, but specifically about trans and trans rights.

Libraries are public resources and shouldn’t be campaigning vehicles.

Maybe I’m just very unlucky with my libraries but judging from others on this thread I’m not the only one.

They are examples of things that have been promoted by libraries as part of black awareness and pride months.
And you are correct in stating that they don't belong in libraries

@TransParentlyAnnoyed you really haven't got a clue about Carnagie his trust or the philanthropy he did.
He personally funded the construction of and stocking of 660 libraries in the UK alone including funding staffing, upkeep and future purchases etc with local governments contractually obligated to provide 10% of the running and maintenance costs. This was done from the late 1800s to his death in 1919 and his trust has continued to fund all of those libraries since including expanding many of their buildings including the one in his home town of Dunfermline which was expanded to 4× its original size in the last decade all funded by the Carnagie trust.
You can try and rewrite history with selective facts and misrepresentation but it won't work.
Libraries exist for everyone to have free access to books and learning not for the promotion of political ideologies or displaying sexulised imagery to children.

Sorry I don't understand what those things you've just said have to do with public libraries?

Libraries are for the local community. I can't be bothered by the nonsense comment of the rich hating women and minorities being educated.

Reform led councils are run by locals who joined Reform as all the other parties ditched their principles to follow the establishment view on gender ideology and other matters, and the people were otherwise politically homeless.

In Essex Reform ditched the reservation fees in libraries, which then suddenly drew opposition and criticism because they were making libraries more affordable. They ditched the Pride flag being flown on the council building, which had got out of control because an official flag raising ceremony was created, which saw some local cross-dressing men invited to raise the flag etc.

Reform are a response to all the other parties ditching their principles. I fully expect a new Green party soon as the Green party are ditching their green principles in favour of Gaza.

I'm in the UK, so: nope. Libraries were just public buildings with a bit of donated stock, gradually improved by governments before Labour took power in the 60s. Until then, they had no central funding to buy stock.

The 1964 Public Libraries Act created the network of educational centres we know today, which has survived austerity to provide free education, equality of Internet access, local history resources and places of sanctuary for people without any money at all. It exists because of popular movements, not philanthropy.

Its existence is a defiant kick against government by the rich, which resists the education of women and minorities.

Libraries have been places the poor and marginalised seek sanctuary in. They exist to support and stick up for them - especially marginalised children. Reform dislike that.

Could you tell me when you last saw a library display about straight sex? With dilldos on display as was in the library lgbtq+ display that has triggered this motion.
Ofcourse you can't because it doesn't happen.
Nobody should have to walk past such things just to borrow a book especially not children.
Oh and fairytales aren't about straight sex btw

I did add a bit of peace and quiet.

I am old enough to remember when it was whispering only in a library and wish it was still like this now.

I agree. If there is unsuitable content eg dildos that’s a separate issue.

I think there is a laziness problem around some of the awareness days and months, where they save unimaginative librarians (or teachers or HR departments for that matter) from having to think up their own ideas. However, used well they can, as you say provide windows into other worlds.

Some of those complaining about Reform’s actions had no problem with co-opting public infrastructure to do politics to others, and only now discover their objections once politics is being done to them.

exactly! Public bodies and institutions should always be politically neutral

that includes the politics we agree with as well as those we dont

and frankly if ppl running libraries hadn't been idiotic enough to have drag queens reading stories to 5 year olds and rainbow fucking dildo monkey we wouldn't bloody be here

Nothing inherently.

What’s political about overthrowing capitalism or abolishing prisons?

What’s political about removing sex-based rights and redefining woman in policy and law?

Quite a lot.

Some of those complaining about Reform’s actions had no problem with co-opting public infrastructure to do politics to others, and only now discover their objections once politics is being done to them.

What's political about being gay or black ?

Nothing. But the movements associated with “rights” in general are political campaigns, which have their place in a democratic society. What is debatable is whether the local library is the place for such campaigns. I believe it isn’t.

On a side note, my local library had an LGBT+ (didn’t clarify the “+”) display of books recently. It included a rather thin biography of Florence Nightingale. I asked the librarian why it was there and she explained, rather patronisingly, that “some people thought that FN was gay”. She didn’t like my response that that was a pretty poor reason for retrospectively queering the poor woman.

What's political about being gay or black ? It just sounds like They don't want to acknowledge those groups at all because they think there's something wrong with them.