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A small-town mayor is refusing to fund the public library until it removes materials on the basis of his own personal Evangelical Christian beliefs.
The community is up in arms over the situation.
Mayor Gene McGee of Ridgeland, Mississippi has ordered his office to withhold $110,000 of funding for the Madison County Library System until they remove a number of LGBTQ+ books from their system.
The whole situation is bizarre, and yet unsurprising.
I don't understand this story; when a municipal budget is adopted (including grants), no individual Counci member can interfere with its use except thro Council policy decisions, etc.. Why would the City staff go along with this, why wouldn't they just issue the Library a cheque?— Pat \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 (@Pat \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6) 1643225948
Where are all the #FreeSpeechWarriors? You complained about "censorship" from the Left, where are you when it's the real thing from the Right?https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1486492968504676356\u00a0\u2026— Bahdum II (@Bahdum II) 1643250011
Of course he's a Christian.\nBook banning is a dangerous, slippery slope. Why can't we ever learn from history?https://twitter.com/MarkJacob16/status/1486430435693547520\u00a0\u2026— GetVaxxed (@GetVaxxed) 1643235703
HOW is this legal???https://www.rawstory.com/mississippi-banned-books/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter\u00a0\u2026— Dirty Jersey 1\ufe0f\u20e39\ufe0f\u20e37\ufe0f\u20e39\ufe0f\u20e3 \ud83c\udfa7\ud83c\udfa4\ud83d\udcbf\ud83d\udcc0 (@Dirty Jersey 1\ufe0f\u20e39\ufe0f\u20e37\ufe0f\u20e39\ufe0f\u20e3 \ud83c\udfa7\ud83c\udfa4\ud83d\udcbf\ud83d\udcc0) 1643240961
Free speech, anyone?— J. Wise (@J. Wise) 1643206742
In some US States: Teaching Critical Race Theory banned, books on queer topics under threat, graphic novel on Holocaust banned. But universities fear \u201cwoke\u201d culture?https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1486492968504676356\u00a0\u2026— Christa Wirth (@Christa Wirth) 1643250627
Tonja Johnson, executive director for the county library tried to reach out to Mayor McGee after failing to receive the first quarter funding for the public service. However, the mayor’s office informed her that no payment was on the way.
Johnson said:
“He explained his opposition to what he called ‘homosexual materials’ in the library, that it went against his Christian beliefs, and that he would not release the money as the long as the materials were there.”
Despite Johnson explaining that the library is a public service for a diverse community, McGee doubled down and refused to release the funds.
The mayor seems particularly upset about a book called The Queer Bible, a series of essays from prominent members of the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters. Famously, the book includes writings from Elton John, Munroe Bergdorf, and Tan France.
However, other books, such as the children’s book Grandad’s Camper also seem to be at issue. To prevent these books from going out, McGee is trying to hold funding hostage.
Doing so on the basis of his personal religion will likely not go well.
The Christo-Fascists are in high gear.https://twitter.com/nickjudin/status/1486149758779547651\u00a0\u2026— Still, STILL Bitter Southerner (@Still, STILL Bitter Southerner) 1643197297
An elected official who claims that he "serves only God" has no place in public office.— AntiFa Official AF \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83e\udd88 (@AntiFa Official AF \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83e\udd88) 1643228967
Hillary was wrong. They're not Deplorables, they are Despicableshttps://twitter.com/MarkJacob16/status/1486430435693547520\u00a0\u2026— Stella No lists, please. (@Stella No lists, please.) 1643228362
Hahahaha people are dying because your God couldn\u2019t won\u2019t remove Covid. THIS IS WHAT YOURE PRESSED ABOUT?!?https://twitter.com/dailymail/status/1486442837646450690\u00a0\u2026— Tango Black (@Tango Black) 1643240435
Mmm, Idk if it's that. Thinking the people against us aren't smart/analytical is how we get into trouble. But there are many people out there who can't stand the fact that they can't control everyone and their thoughts.— Modern Rice \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Modern Rice \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1643251547
Exactly. They're used to dealing with petulant children.— Rebecca Starovich (@Rebecca Starovich) 1643248223
The library board has voted to take the issue to the board of aldermen for the area before seeking legal remedies. However, Bob Sanders, counsel for the library board said that the mayor’s office doesn’t have the power to override the contract with the library system.
Johnson is currently trying to find a way to get the funds released without having to purge the LGBTQ+ books from her library.
However across the country, the LGBTQ+ finds their rights and protections under attack, as conservatives struggle to oppress them.