WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Marathon County Public Library will not move a book on transgender issues out of the Children’s section, as requested by a patron.
A committee voted to keep “Who are You? The Kids’ Guide to Gender Identity” by Brook Pessin-Whedbee where it currently sits instead of moving it to the adult guidance area.
“The book itself is for children who might be working with their parents through their own gender identity issues,” said Marathon County Public Library Director Ralph Illick.
The issue was brought forward by a concerned citizen, and taken up by a panel put together by Illick. He says the library has a formal process it follows in these situations which includes background research and analyzing professional reviews on the book. They also investigated similar challenges of the book at other libraries and read the book themselves.
After the process was completed, Illick says they came to the conclusion that the book was properly placed. He added that the book is considered an excellent resource on the topic of gender identity for both young adults who may be experiencing questions about their own identity and their parents.
He does feel that the book is a good fit for a public library because it can serve as a resource for someone who may be questioning their own gender identity. “We want to make sure we have materials here that are appropriate for everyone,” Meaning he doesn’t want to see the library carrying materials that only agree with one viewpoint or another. “Public libraries are secular, the intention is never to be provocative, but to be informative.”
Illick said the person issuing the complaint did not want to ban the book altogether or have it removed from the system, they just felt the book wasn’t appropriate for the children’s section.
He adds that libraries are always prepared for challenges such as this, but it’s not a plan he has often seen put into action. “I’ve been in libraries for 35 years, and I’ve probably dealt with five of these [cases] in that time.”
