National Library of Scotland censors The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht

[OhBuggerandArse]

Took it out of their centenary exhibition because the staff LGBT+ network kicked up a fuss. Craven. This really needs massive public challenge and push back - if the National Library isn't able to fend off the censors we are utterly lost. https://x.com/EthelWrites/status/1955390550494023958

@OhBuggerandArse He posted this on Twitter on 13th August:
"If you want to join a profession, find out what its fundamental principles are and decide if you can practice them. Don't pretend you can make them up to suit you. It seems such an obvious statement to make, but for the modern world, maybe not."
Which I read as a fairly unequivocal criticism of the trouble-making library staff, and a promising sign of not being captured.

I don’t know where he stands but when he was brought in at the height of the debacle to deliver “intellectual freedom” workshops (alas they were optional rather than mandatory) I attended a session and it was actually very good. He didn’t take a stand but went through the Equality Act,
the NLS charter & the law and ethics around censorship.

Folk on this thread might be interested to know that all NLS directors &managers recently attended a mandatory training session on the Equality Act. It was delivered by an employment specialist from the Library’s law firm. The primary aim being to ensure the NLS stays on the right side of the law.

I believe many are still ideologically captured but at least they now have some idea of the perils of falling foul of the law.

I’ve heard lots of good things about David McMenemy. Stuff about librarians as gate openers not gatekeepers to information
People I know who attended the training he led at the NLS said it was very good (with much comment that it was the shame that the people who really needed to be there weren’t)

I'm triggered by any mention of 'safe space' or 'allies', particularly when they're beardy men with the need to mansplain feminism to me.