In Surprise Twist, Texas Town Allows Fabulous Kids' Books To Gay Up Public Library

Here's your Nice Time for the day: Despite a number of complaints from Christian conservatives demanding that two LGBT-themed books be removed from the children's collection of the Hood County Library in Granbury, Texas, the Hood County Commission allowed the books to remain on the shelves. The terrible brain warping books --  My Princess Boy  by Cheryl Kilodavis, said to have the power of a thousand ordinary Davises, about a boy who likes to wear pretty dresses, and  This Day in June  by Gayle E. Pitman, about a Pride parade -- were targeted by a local Tea party group as offensive, tasteless, an affront to all that is decent and good, and likely to cause spontaneous outbreaks of musical theater. In a standing-room only meeting Tuesday night, the Commission voted to keep the books anyway; as of press time we have had no reports of Granbury being obliterated by a meteor.

Yes, really, in Texas! Where one town tried to ban all the Satan witch books and a school system was beset by a mom who didn't want her precious teen daughter reading about the indolent poors. 

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Granbury resident Dave Eagle was one of the books' leading critics; one account cites him accusing the books of promoting "transvestic behavior” and trying to “program children with the LGBT agenda.” He wants the books moved to the adult section of the library because children are apparently simple stimulus-response machines:

"This is information that hits a child’s eyes and goes into their brains before they have a chance to make a decision about it,” Eagle said. “As adults we have a duty to protect children’s innocence.”

Another gentleman, James Logan, explains that the library was a center of anti-religious brainwashing: "This library, as many on the progressive left do, hides their contempt for Judeo-Christian values behind the right of free speech." Because as anyone knows, free speech is merely an excuse for people you don't like to say things you don't want your children to hear.

RawStory provides a collection of some of the other interesting testimony about the purpose of public libraries, which apparently several Granbury residents believe is to serve as adjuncts to their local churches:

One woman explained that because "One Nation Under God" is on our currency, we need to ban gay books, and also the End Times are just about here:

“The slippery slope is now and we all will face decisions,” she argued. “When our Lord Almighty comes, it will all be played back. Make a difference, for you will be held accountable. And this is important.”

“This is not a topic that our God would be happy with,” the woman noted, turning to the audience. “There is no fruit that comes from a man and a man and a woman and a woman. And if there is, it is not of God!”

We couldn't disagree with her more, but we thought her pronunciation of "liberry" was just the sweetest thing.

Another woman, not in the brief video above, noted that since Jesus made America, it only stands to reason that homo books have no place in the public library:

“The Founding Fathers designed our Constitution from Bible principles as Moses was instructed to bring the law down to the people… So, America was founded on God,” she insisted, imploring the commissioners to compare the United States to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Another gentleman pointed out that it would be bad enough if it were just gay children's books, but the problem is far worse: Gays are trying to "indoctrinate our children" and turn them all gay:

“That is their main goal,” one man said. “These books are not the problem. Sin is. I ask you to not celebrate sin, to justify it or rationalize it. Place these books in the dustbin of history with all the other books that help to destroy our society.”

The speaker did not elaborate exactly how a public library's mission is supposed to center on reducing sin, but we fear he could probably offer a long treatise on the matter.

Still, the  Texas Observer  noted that "about half of the citizens who spoke were against removing the books."

“I oppose any attempt at censorship,” said Hood County resident Mickey Shearon, “not in spite of my Christian beliefs, but because of them.”

Another parent said parents should be very careful about what they expose their precious young ones to, which is why she'll happily read these books to her child, but protect her from the "incest, rape, murder, polygamy, inequality for women, and slavery" that's covered in the Holy Bible.

The public library board had earlier voted to keep the books, although Library Director Courtney Kincaid decided to move This Day In June from the children's section to the adult shelves, in the parenting section. 

The County Commission ultimately decided not to vote on the matter, meaning that the library board's earlier decision to keep the books is the final decision. So yay, Granbury -- keep doing that free speech thing.

Also, maybe the Hood County Library should borrow some punctuation from the Boise City Library system, which has what Yr Dok Zoom believes to be the best damn library sign in the country:

Sometimes you need to emphasize that the place matters.

[ RawStory / KERA News / Texas Observer / Image credit: John Savage, Texas Observer ]