Traverse Area District Library (TADL) trustees Thursday unanimously denied a patron's request to remove a children's book from shelves in a meeting that drew over 100 attendees and generated more than an hour of impassioned public comment.

Trustees had been asked to review a “request for reconsideration” – a patron’s request to remove a title from TADL shelves – on appeal after a library staff committee rejected the request. The book in question was “Grandad’s Pride,” a children’s book by award-winning author Harry Woodgate about a child who helps their grandfather start a Pride parade in their small town. The patron expressed concerns about imagery in the book – specifically a character wearing leather gear in the Pride parade – and asked TADL to keep the book behind a desk, a request the library committee denied.

The patron, who declined to publicly state her name Thursday, spoke first during public comment. She emphasized that her request had "nothing to do with bigotry or homophobia," saying that she herself is bisexual. She said she didn't object to the book's content overall but rather to what she described as a "BDSM kink outfit" in the book, imagery she said she didn't know how to explain to her young children. The patron said she would have the same objections if the individuals depicted in the book were straight. While the patron said she believed book banning was a "dangerous" precedent, she questioned the book's imagery being made available to young children. The patron wanted to know "with respect to future book selections...is there a line that would be too far for selection consideration" when it comes to children's books at TADL.

The rest of public comment, during which nearly three dozen people spoke for over an hour, encouraged TADL to keep the book available on shelves. Many individuals from the LGBTQ+ community spoke about the importance of diverse representation in reading materials, while others cited free speech and First Amendment issues when defending patron access to books. Following public comment, trustees went into closed session for over an hour with attorney Anne Seurynck, who specializes in library law. After the board returned to open session, Seurynck gave public remarks, saying that "at the heart of the issue is the First Amendment." Seurynck said there's no legal "basis to restrict constitutionally protected books solely because people disagree with the message or image," going on to cite case law backing libraries keeping such materials available to patrons.

Trustee Jennifer Beuthin said that it was "clear on its face from a legal perspective that to do anything but deny the appeal request would be in violation of the First Amendment and the Constitution." She also said she was "deeply moved" by the outpouring of community support for the library, including for LGBTQ+ staff at TADL who had to navigate "an attempt to deny that full humanity of a whole group of people." Other trustees shared similar remarks, though they also commended the patron for her courage in bringing the request to the board. Trustee Michael Vickery noted the patron came into a room where it was clear the majority of attendees opposed her request, but "she at least felt safe enough to do it." 

Trustee Susan Odgers agreed, saying the patron "showed us the process works." Odgers said trustees received over 100 emails about the removal request, most of which called for keeping the book available. Odgers said moving the book behind a desk where it would only be available by special request would stigmatize its contents. "Every day in this community as a disability activist, I am constantly looking at ableism and trying to get people to understand separate is not equal," Odgers said. She added that while trustees were following the law under the First Amendment in rejecting the request, she would be "leading the charge" to protect the book's availability "even if those weren't our guidelines."

Trustees voted unanimously to deny the request, with President Marylee Pakieser and Secretary Sam Gedman absent.