Sacred Ground at the Library
Why Protecting Pride Matters Now More Than Ever
I live in a small city in central Kansas. While the sea we’re swimming in isn’t “liberal” by any means, there are enough blue dots around me to lily-pad-hop my way around. And enough of us showed up recently at our local public library to make our voices heard—the library belongs to everyone.
Every June, there’s a small display of Pride-related books set up in the children’s section of the library. And nearly every year, a small of “concerned citizens” demands a public comment opportunity before the board to express their disdain for the how the library is indoctrinating children. Sigh.
Of course, anyone is welcome to present their comments before the board, so we reach out and network and organize and ensure that voices of reason, inclusion, freedom and love are heard.
There were 8 open slots for speakers. One elderly woman spoke in opposition to the Pride display. 6 of us spoke in favor. And one person just didn’t show up. There were maybe 20 or so members of the audience, ALL there to support the LGBTQ+ community.
I am SO proud of the way our community showed up for Pride, for justice, for representation, and for the sacred ground of the library. And honestly, as I heard the elderly woman’s feeble voice pleading her case for why books that feature LGBTQ+ characters are harmful, I felt a deep, deep sadness for her. Is THIS what you want your legacy to be, ma’am?
For what it’s worth, here are the comments that I gave. Our story. Pride belongs in the library, in our communities, in our schools, in our churches, and anywhere lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and beautiful humans exist.
Thank you, library board members, for your time.
My name is Cat Poland, Hutchinson resident since 2018, and I have a little nonfiction story to tell.
When we found out in 2018 that my husband’s job would be transferred here, we were living in Conway Springs, my hometown.
At that time, our children were ages 9, 7 and 3. I knew it would be a tough transition for all of them, but especially my oldest, who’s autistic.
Change can be a tough pill for him to swallow so I wanted to find something here in Hutch that would spark his interest and make the move seem like an exciting one.
This kid loved to read. He read the entire Harry Potter series when he was seven and I would frequently take him to the Conway Springs city library to check out books because he had out read all of the books in the school library.
So I got online and looked up the Hutch public library. I explained to him that it is a much bigger library so he would have so many more books to choose from. And then he saw it. There was an image of the mezzanine area and he was completely impressed by being able to see two floors of books at once.
So for our first few years in Hutch, we would visit the library frequently. He would check out enormous piles of books, while I enjoyed sitting in the children’s play area with my younger two. We loved the library then and we love the library now.
You know, I don’t ever remember seeing a pride display in the children’s area when we visited. Maybe it was because we didn’t realize it pertained to our family and simply passed it by.
At that time in my life, I considered myself an ally of the LGBTQ+ community but admittedly, I wasn’t a very good one. I wasn’t very vocal, and my child interpreted my silence as a rejection of who he was realizing he was.
Fast forward 3 years, my oldest was now 12, and in December of 2021, he attempted to take his own life. He realized he’s trans. And he was TERRIFIED. How could he face a future in a world that vilified him, and has used the trans community as a punching bag for everything that’s wrong?
Fast forward 4 years, and I’m happy to report he’s doing really well. Because we supported him, and gave him what he needed. Gender affirming care saves lives. Period.
So when I hear that there are certain people in the community who want to “protect the children” from seeing a very small display of books during pride month, it infuriates me. And it makes me very sad. The only thing I mourn about my child’s transition is that we didn’t understand sooner. I mourn his lost boyhood. And all those Harry Potter books he read? If there’s anyone that could have indoctrinated him to not be trans it would’ve been J. K. Rowling.
I have been there, done that with spiritual bullying. In 1999 my brother died by suicide after revealing he had been sexually assaulted by our parish priest. There were at least five other suicides attributed to this perpetrator. And the man that covered it all up, Bishop Eugene Gerber, now has a multimillion dollar building named after him at Newman University.
My parents went on to become fierce activists against church-facilitated abuse.
So I stand firm on this…PEOPLE DON’T GET TO HIDE BEHIND THEIR BIBLES AND HURT PEOPLE, without getting called out for it.
So I ask you, as a mother who wishes her family HAD stopped at the Pride display, please let it remain. This small gesture means so much to so many, and shows ALL BELONG HERE, at the library. Thank you.
