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

I know that not everyone can afford to buy new books, but I’ve been buying hard copies since Kindle/Amazon auto-defanged Roald Dahl without consulting previous purchasers (and then recanted). Ebooks are easier to memory hole and defang.

Is it worth doing Freedom of Information requests on some of this?

Ask how many copies of Trans (etc) are in stock and how many times they've been borrowed, then ask same about Juno Dawson books (etc). Also ask how many have been "discarded" (got rid of as damaged etc) - if book is recently published, high number of discards or books "missing" is suggestive of censorship.

I know of a library group where the stock librarian had to send round an email telling staff not to censor books as they were doing it unilaterally! Don't know if it was GC specific though. (Was going to DM Helen Joyce this but don't have a twitter blue tick!)

Also yes please keep ordering and borrowing GC books!

That's really helpful, thank you. I've been thinking about asking my library to add some of these books for a while and I will start composing an email with this in mind.

I didn't think so. Capturing libraries has got to be somewhere the Denton report. Certainly the concept, if not the specifics. This is completely deliberate. Including, imo 'book 28'.

Except they've got it arse backwards as it's them doing the censoring.

People who have absolutely zero opinion about the transgender issue, will be hopping mad if they think that libraries and book shops are selecting books in order to push a controversial viewpoint on an unsuspecting public.

Quite a few people are really grasping the issues involved, but there are significant swathes who are just sick of it being 'shoved down their throat'.

The realisation that libraries and bookshops are promoting and censoring books in order to do just that, is going to infuriate them.

I wonder how long it will take for the papers to get hold of it.

It's not new guidance from councils. It was written by the founder of a very small LGBT+ library, and it's optional guidance specifically to encourage LGBT+ people frequenting libraries.

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.

They did not say that at least a quarter of all YA stock should be LGBT+ titles. They said:

YouGov found that at least one in five surveyed Britons aged between 18 and 24 chose an option other than ‘Heterosexual/straight’ when asked about their sexuality; using this as a guide, you could set a target such as making sure at least a quarter of your new YA stock contains LGBTIQ+-representation, even if you will be acquiring little of this stock overall.

The Telegraph are simply stirring up trans panic again - and this site is the litmus test for just that.

Oh great DadJoke - I’m sure you can tell us what trans rights these terrible books are asking to have removed?

Non-fiction especially for youth is pretty thin, the vast majority is self-help or "issues" and a huge proportion is about sex and gender stuff, compared to other user groups.

A surprisingly large portion of the fiction is also "queer" for that matter.

Thanks, sorry, I'm shit with names and should have checked!

https://twitter.com/ForWomenScot/status/1686723068129939456?s=19

Long thread from FWS

I work in a library, I haven’t seen this policy and won’t be following it.
The service I work in we don’t censor and I won’t be compelled to censor, it goes against all my values and one of the main reasons I do this job.

Great to hear, LuckyCats.

I will be requesting two or three feminist books at a time over the next few months, as suggested.

You can ask your local library to buy books into the stock.
Thankfully the people above me all seem normal and sane and we already have all the good stuff in our stock, I might have a reshuffle of the society section next week.
No signs of drag here and really doubt it would be something we would do, what exactly is the need for it?

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.

Do they list which books are arguing for the removal of 'trans rights' @DadJoke? Or is it kept deliberately vague to avoid the possibility of being sued?

These authors and their work can be labelled transphobic, and the writers themselves TERFs

Some of the authors they endorse could be labelled homophobic. Such as Juno Dawson who said: “I think there are a lot of gay men out there who are gay men as a consolation prize because they couldn’t be women."

So they endorse homophobic writers, but label lesbians like Julie Bindel writing about feminism "TERFs" and say that their books should be hidden from the public.

They're not really interested in the LGBTIQ+ community, if there even is such a thing. They're interested in the TQ+ at the expense of the LGB community, and also at the expense of women.

The Telegraph are simply stirring up trans panic again - and this site is the litmus test for just that.

Transgenderism is misogynistic and homophobic. That's what this is about.

I think there's a lot of difference in cataloguing system libraries used. I've just checked my library service which uses sirsi. While I'd quibble with number of copies in some cases there's no evidence of malpractice. In fact the catalogue will suggest further reading, can't manage to screenshot but it includes all the expected titles.

This does not of course prevent activist staff from hiding books.

YouGov found that at least one in five surveyed Britons aged between 18 and 24 chose an option other than ‘Heterosexual/straight’ when asked about their sexuality; using this as a guide, you could set a target such as making sure at least a quarter of your new YA stock contains LGBTIQ+-representation, even if you will be acquiring little of this stock overall.

This is nonsense. Firstly YA collections are aimed at 14+. Secondly what about all the other categories ,race, disability, sex, class etc.

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.
It is not for this librarian to define what's transphobic. They are quite clearly showing their prejudice and could have worded this differently.

Did you have a hand in writing the guidance by any chance? Your comments are uncannily similar...

It seems to me one of the proactive things I might do is just to volunteer to read in a children's library. I presume the checks will take a while so it could be quite an undertaking.

I do get that there is always a balance. I'd expect libraries to have accessible copies of plenty of controversial books. I'm certainly happy that Shon Faye's book is frequently available, it's a thought-provoking read (not all the thoughts it provoked in me were that positive, but still.)

I was just thinking the same thing

It's not new guidance from councils. It was written by the founder of a very small LGBT+ library, and it's optional guidance specifically to encourage LGBT+ people frequenting libraries.

A small private library can do what they like.

The issue, from the OP article, is that this guidance is being shared in some public libraries where it may influence policy.

Can't people reasonably object to biased guidance being used by public libraries?

As for "trans panic" that you mentioned, well apparently there is a "GC panic" where some very sensitive LGBT folks have to be protected from even coming across a GC book!

In a library, you normally risk seeing books that will have controversial views that you may disagree with.

In a library, you normally risk seeing books that will have controversial views that you may disagree with

I'm permanently scarred from the university library. All those academics disagreeing with each other. And free for anyone with a library card to read, as well!!

Lol, someone in my local library is deliberately displaying gender critical books as front and centre as they can.

The Telegraph are simply stirring up trans panic again - and this site is the litmus test for just that.

The article (probably in response to the news about Calderdale Library) has found that other libraries and implementing / referring to this "guidance".

This means it is a news story. In the same way that even if the majority of schools do not allow self id, some do.

And in both the instance of libraries and schools this isn't their role.

What would be really useful, but I doubt any news outlet printed or online would do it, is to talk to those (minority) who have taken TRA policy to be the correct one, what led them to that position. And why they had the right to insert this bias into their work.

And secondly whether the authorities funding libraries and schools are happy that some are acting in this way.

Although not acceptable but if for instance, like a restuarant saying we are vegetarian, libraries or schools said we operate under "......." guidelines that you could say it gives the user a choice. But the reality is it isn't their business.

And it isn't the role of the consumer to be either conned into complying with these hidden guideline or to be told you are a bad person if you disagree.

But having just seen a recent broadcast discussion about NHS staff having the right to have their pronouns complied with, even if it is a person at the end stages of their life, who has no idea what this nonsense is about, I am no longer surprised at the level of arrogance of TRA evangelists.

I suspect even to get back to some balance, let alone public acknowledgement of women's right, we are looking at decades of having to hold the line against all those who have grown up in an era of indoctrination is most areas of society.

Book 28 are funded by public donations, and they are providing guidance in the same way that other non-profit organisations do.

If you object to that in principle, and you object to public libraries taking that advice, then you should absolutely object to gender critical charities offering advice to schools.

If you object to that in principle, and you object to public libraries taking that advice, then you should absolutely object to gender critical charities offering advice to schools.

It would be a concern if it was completely biased.

But if it's just fighting back against a bias on the trans-activist side, then that's no problem.

Would you say which local authority that is?