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

199 replies

IwantToRetire · 02/08/2023 01:58

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

Librarians told to hide books by gender-critical authors

New guidance from councils aims to make libraries friendlier to LGBT visitors

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/01/librarians-hide-books-from-gender-critical-authors

OP posts:
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ArabeIIaScott · 02/08/2023 09:34

Yes. The underlying premise does all seem to be about dividing people into two camps ...

ArabeIIaScott · 02/08/2023 09:35

But you can never be sure! Best report them all just in case! We can never have too much re education eh.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 02/08/2023 09:35

When I buy/borrow a book I don't care if the person selling/lending it to me is 'judging me'. Anymore than I care if the bus driver is judging me for not having a car or the train driver judging me for commuting. Who bloody cares what they think?

gingerguineapig · 02/08/2023 09:39

Fenlandia · 02/08/2023 07:54

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

Seriously? I am a member of CILIP (not Scotland). I think I will be cancelling my membership.

Datun · 02/08/2023 09:41

ArabeIIaScott · 02/08/2023 09:06

Downloaded the Book 28 guide. It's 77 pages! Unnumbered ... 😣so I can't give page references, sorry. A selection of quotes:

'Librarians are not neutral and a malicious or misinformed librarian may take over a collection you have run. They may not put the same enthusiasm and time into maintaining the collection unless they are held to do so by clear collection development guidelines. Your collection is also at risk from self-censorship following a downturn of public or local mood turns against queer people; or even laws - during Section 28 many librarians culled their collections conciously and unconciously. Put caveats and procedures into place in policy to protect your collection.'

'Heavy marketing of ‘Mother’s Day’ and ‘Father’s Day’ activities, especially when paired with materials that only portray only nuclear families, may leave many children feeling left out. Promoting diverse portrayals of families and general celebration of caregivers can be a far more welcoming alternative. For example, instead of having a craft activity focusing on making a Mother’s Day card, children could simply be invited to ‘make a card for someone they love’.'

'Don’t forget about children and young people’s events! They are often overlooked in LGBT+ History Month, but many children and young people are queer* *or will come to identify as queer, and/or live in queer families.'

The whole section on wrongthink books:

'Transphobic books

In the last year especially, 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.

However, these titles are legally published and members of your community may want to read them. We do not say you shouldn’t stock these books or consider methods of censorship around them. Rather, we would recommend to be mindful of and not promote these books, and to think carefully about how many you want to buy, perhaps based solely on individual requests. Furthermore, some of these titles claim to present ‘facts’ while lacking peer reviewed research, and thus may fall below your local standards of reliability for non-fiction. Be especially careful to make sure you do not make mistakes such as putting them on LGBTIQ+ displays or sections where they might cause upset.

You can interfile them in your general stock and those who want to seek out these titles can always do so via your catalogue without the risk of a LGBTIQ+ person coming across the book in a way that looks like it may be being endorsed. Also be wary of judging a reader’s reasons for borrowing one of these books: borrowing a book for free from a library without purchasing it can be a way a reader reads a variety of sources to come to an understanding of a situation.'

In the last year especially, 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).

No they can't. That's why Maya Forstater went to court.

Surely this is discrimination against a protector belief? They can't tell libraries to stop stocking books based on the fact they are about a protected belief they disagree with.

Datun · 02/08/2023 09:43

RubyWedding · 02/08/2023 07:57

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'm not sure I understand.

They are the ones banning books! They're doing the censorship. They're saying these things can't be read, looked at or taught.

They're calling for mass censorship, in the name of inclusion!!

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 02/08/2023 09:51

They may not put the same enthusiasm and time into maintaining the collection unless they are held to do so by clear collection development guidelines. Your collection is also at risk from self-censorship following a downturn of public or local mood turns against queer people

So to stop censorship we're going to have censorship. Oh sorry, to stop the wrong kind of censorship we're going to impose the right kind.

ArabeIIaScott · 02/08/2023 10:00

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 02/08/2023 09:51

They may not put the same enthusiasm and time into maintaining the collection unless they are held to do so by clear collection development guidelines. Your collection is also at risk from self-censorship following a downturn of public or local mood turns against queer people

So to stop censorship we're going to have censorship. Oh sorry, to stop the wrong kind of censorship we're going to impose the right kind.

Self Justification Fallacy works hard in genderism.

It's the Right Side of History we want to be promoting and the Wrong Side of HIstory we want to be suppressing.

You can tell Right from Wrong by the way your librarian looks at you when you hand them a pile of books.

OldCrone · 02/08/2023 10:04

JellySaurus · 02/08/2023 08:21

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.

If they hide everything that could potentially be offensive to someone, they won't have many books left on display.

YetAnotherSpartacus · 02/08/2023 10:08

If they hide everything that could potentially be offensive to someone, they won't have many books left on display.

But some people are more special and worthy of not being offended than others ...

Rightsraptor · 02/08/2023 10:17

Why are they talking about the lack of 'peer reviewing' of the books in question? They are merely nonfiction books. As far as I recall, the many (non-fiction) gardening books or cooking books in my local library aren't peer reviewed. Whoever heard of such a thing? Peer reviewing is for academic text books. Or used to be.

Is Munroe Bergdorf's latest blockbuster 😉peer reviewed? Or any Shon Faye's?

No. Thought not.

MoltenLasagne · 02/08/2023 10:19

Rightsraptor · 02/08/2023 10:17

Why are they talking about the lack of 'peer reviewing' of the books in question? They are merely nonfiction books. As far as I recall, the many (non-fiction) gardening books or cooking books in my local library aren't peer reviewed. Whoever heard of such a thing? Peer reviewing is for academic text books. Or used to be.

Is Munroe Bergdorf's latest blockbuster 😉peer reviewed? Or any Shon Faye's?

No. Thought not.

I imagine it's pre-justification to not order books in because they're "not up to usual standards of non fiction books".

It's basically hinting at the excuse librarians can use whilst having just enough plausible deniability to claim not to be promoting censorship.

LoobiJee · 02/08/2023 10:28

librarians should not promote works by gender-critical authors, while mitigating the “risk” that LGBT readers might encounter these “offensive” titles on shelves.

Has this campaign group not considered the wider consequences of their campaign? That if they can seek to have book titles they find offensive hidden from sight, then so can other groups? What about readers of a faith that considers same-sex orientation a sin and their risk of encountering what they consider “offensive” titles, can they demand that their risk be mitigated by those books being hidden too? And if not, why not? Why is only one group’s sensitivities to be accommodated?

StellaOlivetti · 02/08/2023 10:43

This is so stupid it is (almost) funny - especially the oh-so-disingenuous remark about short, masculine hairstyles. But it isn’t funny really, it’s terrifying. What did Heine say about those who burn books eventually burn people?

GurlWithACurl · 02/08/2023 10:45

To be honest, I’m in a state of shock at this. I am now retired, but was a librarian for my entire career and this goes against everything I believe in, professionally and personally.

I have had a quick search of our library’s ebook catalogue and non of the books by Kathleen Stock etc. are there but Shon Faye’s is. So I will make a list and request all of them. Has anyone got a good list already?

PorcelinaV · 02/08/2023 10:46

Rightsraptor · 02/08/2023 10:17

Why are they talking about the lack of 'peer reviewing' of the books in question? They are merely nonfiction books. As far as I recall, the many (non-fiction) gardening books or cooking books in my local library aren't peer reviewed. Whoever heard of such a thing? Peer reviewing is for academic text books. Or used to be.

Is Munroe Bergdorf's latest blockbuster 😉peer reviewed? Or any Shon Faye's?

No. Thought not.

Also, do they think all the LGBT stuff that they wish to promote is going to be fully accurate? If it's trans propaganda we know that it isn't.

ArabeIIaScott · 02/08/2023 10:47

OldCrone · 02/08/2023 10:04

If they hide everything that could potentially be offensive to someone, they won't have many books left on display.

Show quote history

Probably for the best, really. They can get in a drag queen, instead.

LoobiJee · 02/08/2023 10:47

GurlWithACurl · 02/08/2023 10:45

To be honest, I’m in a state of shock at this. I am now retired, but was a librarian for my entire career and this goes against everything I believe in, professionally and personally.

I have had a quick search of our library’s ebook catalogue and non of the books by Kathleen Stock etc. are there but Shon Faye’s is. So I will make a list and request all of them. Has anyone got a good list already?

Helen Joyce, Trans
Abigail Shrier, I think the title is Irreparable Damage
Hannah Barnes, Time To Think

PorcelinaV · 02/08/2023 10:52

I agree that there are some books that a public library shouldn't be promoting, shouldn't have out as part of a display. Of course they can still have those books in stock.

I guess here the issue is whether we want public libraries to be taking sides in political disputes. Probably not.

LoobiJee · 02/08/2023 10:52

GurlWithACurl · 02/08/2023 10:45

To be honest, I’m in a state of shock at this. I am now retired, but was a librarian for my entire career and this goes against everything I believe in, professionally and personally.

I have had a quick search of our library’s ebook catalogue and non of the books by Kathleen Stock etc. are there but Shon Faye’s is. So I will make a list and request all of them. Has anyone got a good list already?

Casting a wider lens, you could consider:
Karen Ingala Smith also has a book about women’s single sex spaces, I can’t remember the title.

Julie Bindel, Feminism For Women, I think the title is.
If you’re brave enough: Sheila Jeffreys, Penile Imperialism.

LoobiJee · 02/08/2023 10:52

Oh, and Hags by Victoria Smith.

gingerguineapig · 02/08/2023 10:52

fromorbit · 02/08/2023 10:43

Cilip has problems we talked about it before:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4585299-any-cilip-members

There should be a gender critical Cilip group.

I know their chief exec supports the drag queen story times.

Thanks for the link.

fromorbit · 02/08/2023 11:00

ArabeIIaScott · 02/08/2023 08:48

Yep, this is what I'm thinking. Be good to see a list of which books they've banned, but we can probably guess.

Time To Think, Hannah Barnes
Hags, Victoria Smith
Trans, Helen Joyce
Material Girls, Kathleen Stock
Feminism for Women, Julie Bindel

And in the case of my council, any feminist books post about 1930, it seems.

Show quote history

Good list of 5 posted earlier in the thread.

plus

Gender-Critical Feminism
by Holly Lawford-Smith published 2022

Unfair Play: The Battle For Women's Sport
by Sharron Davies

The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society
by Debra Soh

Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters
by Abigail Shrier

PorcelinaV · 02/08/2023 11:00

RubyWedding · 02/08/2023 07:57

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

We still have a law to require political neutrality in schools, and that's a good thing. It should be properly enforced.

It's "tolerant" that we don't just let teachers push their personal politics on kids.

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