This past summer, our City Library here in Temple, Texas decided to put up a display in the children’s section celebrating, and encouraging our children to celebrate, the LGBTQ lifestyles. This display crossed a critical line from neutrality to advocacy. That line that should not be crossed by a public, taxpayer-funded institution like our Library, especially when it undermines a large part of the community’s moral values. Having a wide variety of books in a public library is one thing; but erecting displays that promote dangerous and destructive lifestyle choices – especially to our children – is entirely another thing. The job of the Library is simply to make informational and educational resources available for its patrons, not to promote one side over another in social or political matters.
This display has come to the attention of many local residents who are seeking to raise our children with Biblical moral values, and we are moved with the conviction that now is the time to take a stand for what is right. We have approached Library and City officials, courteously but firmly, to ask that they not allow such displays to be placed in our Library in the future. We have urged them to remain neutral in matters of a sexual nature, rather than creating a hostile environment for the values held so dearly by so many in our community.
Judging from other cities where LGBTQ is pushed on children (such as in Brooklyn, New York, whose Library hosts the weekly “Drag Queen Story Hour” for children), we have reason to believe that this Library display may only a foot in the door for more aggressive attempts to normalize these lifestyles in the future. The Bible calls such lifestyles sin, in places such as Romans 1:18-32 (which dramatically depicts the dreadful state we currently find ourselves in as a nation). Science confirms these moral choices as physically and emotionally destructive (see the confirming references footnoted in our petition). Nipping the Library’s promotion of LGBTQ in the bud at this stage is our objective.
A counter-movement to ours has now sprung up, seeking to defend the pro-LGBTQ display and insisting that the Library was only displaying information. Though we have, as is typical in these kinds of cultural conflicts, been mischaracterized by our opponents (as those trying to ban books, for instance), and have been called bigots and such by those who refuse to be objective, we are not deterred. The issue is simple: either the Library is a place for unbiased information for all of its patrons, or it is a place for the promotion of one side against another in matters directly affecting the moral and sexual education of our children. We believe the answer is clearly that the Library must remain neutral and impartial.
This Tuesday, January 30th, the Library Board meets again. We have prepared a petition (you can view the petition at www.concernedchristiancitizens.org ) that lays out our concerns and presents our request to the Library, and we are in the process of gathering signatures for that petition from local residents. Our opponents have also prepared a petition, only theirs is a digital petition that receives signatures not only from our community, but from all over the world (as I write this, a cursory perusal of recent signees includes people from California, Canada and the U.K.). This push from outside of our community illustrates a big part of the problem here.
In fact, not only is the counter-petition gathering signatures from outside of our community, but some very large, well-funded, politically correct Goliaths have written a “don’t listen to those within your community, listen to us instead” letter to our Library and City officials (see this letter at http://ncac.org/blog/texas-library-evaluates-policy-after-criticism-of-lgbt-themed-display). Whom we are stirring up says much about what we are doing. Perhaps these Goliaths are not used to this kind of backlash against their obvious agenda to indoctrinate our children with values not shared by us. We hope they will have to get used to it, not just in Temple.
What is happening in Temple, Texas is certainly not limited to our locale. Sexually deviant agendas have come or are coming to a city or town near you, too. Only the people from within each community can do what needs to be done about that to protect our children and our grandchildren in our own backyards. It’s our turn to stand; we were born for such a time as this!
We have been told that the City is writing a new policy for the displays in our Library. We are actively praying, and asking all who join our concern to join us in actively praying, for God to break through here with a truly good and constructive policy going forward.
Joe Goodson
President, Concerned Christian Citizens