A local official in Colchester, Connecticut is being called out by citizens and employees of the city's library for his decision to remove a biography of drag queen and television personality RuPaul.
Colchester First Selectman Andreas Bisbikos claimed censorship was not his aim and that the book was pulled for being "sexually provocative."
But library challenged that charactertization said that Bisbikos completely bypassed the usual procedures for situations like these and pulled the book immediately after a single parent complaint.
See local news station Fox 61's report on the matter below.
RuPaul book pulled from library shelves in Colchesteryoutu.be
The book, titled Who Is RuPaul?, is part of a series of biographies of pop culture and historical figures aimed at kids in 4th through 6th grades.
Bisbikos told Fox 61 he removed the book after one parent complained.
"A citizen reached out to me about a book that had some very sexually provocative — had a sexually provocative image that he felt was concerning."
"The book in question was immediately removed from circulation."
But library Director Kate Byroade said the imagery of RuPaul in the book is no different than "objectified images of women" like those found in depictions of "Bat Girl and Bat Woman" and many other books about which the library has received no complaints.
Bisbikos claimed the notion his move amounts to "censorship" was a "misconception." But Byroade vehemently disagreed. She told Fox 61:
"He completely bypassed how you’re supposed to handle things. This is the exact definition of censorship."
"I was told to remove the book and I said ‘No, we have a procedure, we have a form. I don’t turn around and remove something from the library on a whim.'"
She also said Bisbikos demanded she conduct a review of all the library's books--well over 20,000 titles--by the end of the week, a request she refused to fulfill.
On social media, people weren't buying Bisbikos' claims and found it obvious this was another case of a book being removed due to anti-LGBTQ sentiment.
\u201cYet another report of a LGBTQ+ book being pulled from a public library without following appropriate review procedures -- this time, a biography of @RuPaul. We call on the government of Colchester to restore the book to @CraginLibrary shelves immediately. https://t.co/nHqBPf5YIP\u201d— PEN America (@PEN America) 1656513825
\u201c@thedailybeast Where were these folks years ago when this guy talked about this at a Boy Scout jamboree?\nhttps://t.co/fKYW3QRot9\u201d— The Daily Beast (@The Daily Beast) 1656538968
\u201c@thedailybeast\u201d— The Daily Beast (@The Daily Beast) 1656538968
\u201cWhat started with the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d bill has now move up the East Coast to CT where a biographical book for kids is removed from a library shelf because one person got offended\u2026ONE PERSON \ud83d\ude44\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\n\nhttps://t.co/Nx0fU7lCwI\u201d— Zac (@Zac) 1656622445
\u201c@thedailybeast Conservative agenda spurs into high speed following overturning of Roe v. Wade. \ud83d\ude44\u201d— The Daily Beast (@The Daily Beast) 1656538968
\u201cOne complaint = pulling biography of @RuPaul from public library in Colchester, CT. Absurd. And absolutely against library policy. Also not done by librarians... But by a govt official. Chilling. https://t.co/khUUsq67Db\u201d— Jonathan Friedman \ud83d\udcda (@Jonathan Friedman \ud83d\udcda) 1656555737
\u201chttps://t.co/tOhEHxC1Uw\n\nRelease the name of the dad. Let\u2019s have a conversation\u201d— Laura Iacometta,RN (@Laura Iacometta,RN) 1656620454
\u201cReally? Offended by RuPaul's autobiography? \nObviously, he didn't read any of it. It's quite inspirational. https://t.co/Kvxn7FOZpL\u201d— September \ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udf12\ud83c\udf15\ud83c\udf18\ud83c\udf0a (@September \ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udf12\ud83c\udf15\ud83c\udf18\ud83c\udf0a) 1656644738
\u201c@RuPaul As an elementary school librarian, I can\u2019t wait to purchase this biography for my library. https://t.co/L8UK26ibH5\u201d— Kate Reilly (@Kate Reilly) 1656541681
\u201cThe First Selectman who ordered a biography of @RuPaul pulled from the shelves of the public library is the same First Selectman who rescinded Colchester's anti-racism resolution last year. https://t.co/lb6iwTpd0T\u201d— Jeremy C. Young (@Jeremy C. Young) 1656526679
A library official also rejected the notion that the book was removed to supposedly protect kids, telling Fox 61, "We are not the deciders of what children read, parents are."
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The Washington Post