Uncle Bobby’s Wedding is a short children’s book in which a little girl worries about “losing” her favorite Uncle Bobby because he’s getting married. It’s on the shelves of the Douglas County public libraries. Dougco is the southernmost county in the sprawling Denver Metro area, and at least until recently one of the fastest-growing (as to population) counties in the USA. It’s affluent, super-suburban, and deeply Republican.
Dougco’s public library system is headed by Jamie Larue, who also blogs at myliblog.
I found his blog today, and am just blown away by the wonderful, thoughtful letter – printed in full in this blog post – he wrote to a woman who objected to the library’s having Uncle Bobby’s Wedding on its shelves in the children’s section. She objected because Uncle Bobby’s marriage is to another man.
I urge you to read Jamie Larue’s letter to that woman if it’s all you read today. It’s a wonderful statement of what public libraries are about, among other things.
Sadly, he now reports more negative feedback. Which looks like an organized “ban the book” campaign. Some people just don’t get it.
Best wishes to Mr. Larue as he deals with this, and to the Dougco library board of trustees who no doubt will be pushed and lobbied and harangued by the bookburner fringe over this.
You know I live in Colorado Springs, the fundies’ City on the Hill, right? I get a warm glow every time I go into the Briargate Library, not much more than a stone’s throw from Focus on the Family, and see the large sign over the computer lab, announcing it was sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado.
Heh, heh, I’d enjoy that too. Thanks for letting us know.
It never ceases to amaze me the energy the lunatic fringe manages to whip up about this sort of thing. It seems simple to me–Don’t like the book? Don’t check it out. Opposed to gay marriage? Don’t marry a same-sex partner. These people are perfectly free to make their choices.
Why do they feel compelled to legislate how OTHERS choose to live? How is that a threat to their freedom, other than to ensure they have more of it?
It all make me very, VERY tired.
I couldn’t have put it better than Suzanne did. (The letter was great!)