New guidance from councils aims to make libraries friendlier to LGBT visitors - by hiding gender critical books

[IwantToRetire]

Libraries across the country are being advised to prevent LGBT people seeing “offensive” gender-critical books, the Telegraph can reveal.

Guidance shared as “best practice” among council-run public libraries suggests measures to be more inclusive, including hosting drag queen story hours and making toilets gender neutral, partly to relieve anxiety for women with “masculine” hairstyles.

Advice on handling “transphobic books” states that librarians should not promote works by gender-critical authors, while mitigating the “risk” that LGBT readers might encounter these “offensive” titles on shelves.
The guidance titled “Welcoming LGBTIQ+ users: advice for public library workers” also suggests that staff limit the number of gender-critical books they stock.

In a section of “transphobic” titles it states: “There have been a few titles published which claim to be ‘gender critical’ and argue for removal of trans rights.

“These authors and their work can be labelled transphobic, and the writers themselves Terfs (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists). We, along with many in the LGBTIQ+ community, find these books offensive.”

The guidance was produced in 2022 by an Islington “LGBTIQ+ library” called Book 28, founded by Southwark Council librarian Isadore Auerbach George, who drew up the advice with Lambeth librarian Colette Townend and academic Dr Elizabeth Chapman, whose doctoral thesis was on “provision of LGBT-related fiction to children and young people” in public libraries.

The guidance has been provided to staff working for local authorities, with Leicestershire, West Berkshire and Gateshead council making use of the advice.

The Book 28 advice is also shared on the websites of professional bodies the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland, and charity Libraries Connected, an organisation whose membership includes every library service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

From a much longer article at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/01/librarians-hide-books-from-gender-critical-authors/

Also available by pasting in the Telegraph link at https://archive.ph

Sorry should have added there was a thread about this happening at Calderdale Council libraries https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4861844-calderdale-council-librarians-censoring-books-by-women-of-course

So as a woman who has had a short "masculine" haircut for years, they think I get anxious in women's toilets and would prefer to use loos that have been pissed all over by men?

If they actually mention specific authors they class as transphobic and say they should be deplatformed - they should be sued.

The haircuts bit was extremely disingenuous. I mean the whole thing is, but using that as a reason for turning the toilets into mixed sex is totally taking the piss!

It's there any section of society this 'don't let people be upset by the nasty women' campaign hasn't affected yet

So what about lesbians (e.g. me) who want to see GC books?

And absolutely don't want men in the women's toilet or men dressed up as grotesque parody of women holding story hours?

Bloody hell I thought this was just one silly council but it's endorsed by CILIP Scotland too.

History repeating itself. Don't you remember the fuss over Section 28 and wouldn't you agree it's a good thing that was repealed, allowing Britain to become a more tolerant and inclusive society?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28

I can't help thinking that book burnings would be a lot quicker and easier. I've had a lot of things in my life that cause me anxiety, but having a 'short, masculine hairstyle' isn't one of them.

Do they know how ridiculous they sound? (rhetorical question). God forbid anyone should find a book offensive and upsetting, eh? let's all read baby books instead. Perhaps cloth books that the anxious can chew on.

Surely this is direct discrimination on the grounds of belief and indirect sex discrimination, as women are likely to be the main readers of GC and feminist books?

I honestly thought nothing else could shock me about this ideology, I thought that several years ago, but this is a new low.

Did those organisations not engage their brains for one second and think maybe women who use libraries should feel included by having toilets they can use without worrying about men? Did they not consider what path they are following by picking one group above others for protection from offence?

Libraries are for the whole community.

what's your point?
Because i think you're saying that pp should be happy to go to toilets that have been pissed all over by men. And that anyone holding a view that is GC should be told STFU and not allowed to have their books in libraries unless under the counter and asked for by means of password or secret handshake?

But if i'm wrong apologies.

and wouldn't you agree it's a good thing that was repealed, allowing Britain to become a more tolerant and inclusive society?

And how's that working out right now?

Southwark eh? Doesn’t surprise me. It’s woke central.

How do you know its gender critical from the spine on the shelf? or cover?

Youre telling me book bans are a great way to make society tolerant and inclusive?

I hate to say it, but this sanctimonious pish is maybe part of the reason why libraries are so under used.

Instead of being a treasure house of free books on every subject they are now re education camps with improving tomes for the right minded.

No wonder people avoid them in droves.

Hope they've hidden Dawkins' The God Delusion, to prevent people of faith seeing “offensive” faith-critical books.

And the Torah, Koran and Gospels, to prevent atheist people seeing “offensive” atheism-critical books.

And Buxton's The Great Plant-based Con to prevent vegan people seeing “offensive” veganism-critical books.

Librarians promoting censorship.

I think librarians are going to be very busy hiding all the biology books promoting harmful ideas of mammalian sex dichotomy.

I think it's time to recommend a selection of GC titles to my book group and pass the list to our library.

Though sadly said book group, after being a bastion of common sense for years, has lately acquired a TWAW member.

But seriously, what a bloody outrage. Why is some people being upset more important than some other people being upset?

I have a suspicion that my Council (Scotland) is following a similar policy. When I did a catalogue search for feminist books on one of the computers, one of the only search results was for a book by Juno Dawson. None of the books described in the article as gender critical are in the catalogue. The books which are considered 'welcoming' are very prominently displayed in the various areas of the Library.

It suggests that “at least a quarter” of stock for young adults could relate to LGBT issues, and contrary to the caution urged for gender-critical books, suggests that for LGBT volumes, libraries would benefit from “two copies of as many titles as possible”.

So, they wish to impose 25% of the books on the population, when they people they are aimed at are about 1% - surely that's discrimination against everybody?

Having a wee look at my library's online catalogue.

8 books labelled feminism. Mostly historical (Wollstonecroft, Pankhurst, etc).

Absolutely no wrongthinking books on the catalogue.

This might be partly labelling - I know htey have more feminism books than this because I've seen them with my own eyes.

Could we have a mass "request-in" of Helen Joyce, Kathleen Stock etc? so they have to keep going out to the "off-site store" to get them.

Fucking hell, they have Juno Dawson's whole back catalogue, including the sex/drugs books for kids.

Oh, one book at a time, of course, not all at once. Return HJ then request KS. Keep 'em busy.