A Year After Sounding the Alarm, the Entire List of Children's Gender Books Have Been Removed from the Shelves!

This is GOOD NEWS!!! Where are the books going, and without a policy change, will it stick?

written by: Michele Nuckolls

(Reminder: underlined phrases/ words are links to find out more.)

The writer, Alex Gino, has three books at this library that discuss gender transition. One out of four of his books were on the shelf today.

Before I begin, for new readers, remember these key things:

• Our group never asked for any of the books to be removed entirely, only moved.

  • Moved to the adult section

  • Moved to a high shelf or

  • Labeled for parent’s information

• The content of some of the books (for ages 0-12) we found includes:

  • Information about medical transition/ taking hormones and hormone blockers

  • Information about how to find trans adults on the internet

  • Instructions to be sure to delete your search history so your parents won’t find out

• You can read through our work over the year, about library policy, and detailed reviews of some of the concerning books on this substack in past articles, I provide a few quotes below.

Booklist: Updated Children’s Gender Fluid Library Book List (substack.com)

Two new copies of this board book are currently on order to be placed at the South Regional Library and the Mitchell Library.

I believe the books were removed sometime early last week.

It’s been a busy month for me. I’ve been talking to voters and attending meetings in the community, and I hadn’t even been back to the library lately. The library was nowhere on the agenda for Commissioner’s Court for February 20th. Imagine my surprise when I found out that around that same time my entire list, and some books I haven’t had time to add, were removed from the children’s section! This is GOOD NEWS and an answer to many prayers!! Where did they go? According to the card catalog, they were sent to the Tech Services Department. Will it stick?

According to the card catalog, each book is being held in the Tech Services Department.

Every single book on my list was removed, which is surprising because many are so subtle, I never expected them to be moved. I simply thought parents should be aware of the culture and what was available. This is why I think that the books are likely under review, being held until a final decision is made for where they will be placed. If so, who is reviewing them? Two of the most concerning chapter books were already reviewed by the Reconsideration Committee last December, and the library Acquisitions Manager (who leads this committee) sent me a letter telling me they weren’t going anywhere.

I am exceedingly grateful, but as the librarians review these books, they will need a policy with clear parameters as to what is and is not allowed back into the children’s section. More books will be ordered as well, and the administrators will need direction from the court.

Early voting has begun!

This is the last week of early voting which will end this Friday, March 1st at 7pm. You can vote anywhere in the county during early voting. Election day is March 5th, and you will need to find out where to vote in your precinct for election day. You can find your polling place by entering your information on the electronic form here: Montgomery County Elections Legal Notices (mctx.org)

Please continue to pray.