Re: Montana State Library withdraws from national library group over president's 'Marxist lesbian' comment

[Execute Marxists]

Molly Bolt <mollyth...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:a1c3eab2-5748-4c6a...@googlegroups.com:

> Kick that lesbian bitch right in her dried up nastly old pussy.

The Montana State Library Commission voted Tuesday to leave the American
Library Association, the oldest and largest library association in the
world, because the ALA’s president described herself as a “Marxist
lesbian” in a social media post last year.

Emily Drabinski, who was elected president of the ALA in April 2022 and
took office this month, celebrated her election in a social media post
that has since been deleted.

“I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective
power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the
president-elect of @ALALibrary,” Drabinksi wrote in a tweet last year. “I
am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity! And my mom is SO
PROUD I love you mom.”

During a meeting Tuesday, Tom Burnett, a member of the Montana State
Library Commission, made a motion to “immediately withdraw” the state
library from the ALA and send the association a letter to explain that
“our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids
association with an organization led by a Marxist,” according to the
Montana Free Press.

In a statement published on its website Thursday, the ALA — a nonpartisan
nonprofit founded in 1876 — outlined its mission, described how its
presidents are elected and noted that ALA's operational decisions are
"made by ALA staff leadership working with a full range of committees and
advisory groups.”

It also described how the Montana State Library has benefited from ALA
membership, including more than $218,000 in program grants over the past
two years and a 24% increase in federal funding from 2019 to 2023.

"Despite the decision in Montana this week, ALA remains committed to
providing essential support, resources, and opportunities for every
library and library worker in every state and territory across the nation
to help them better serve their communities," the group said.

Drabinski did not immediately return a request for comment.

After about an hour of public comment Tuesday, the commission voted 5-1-1
in favor of the motion. Commission Chair Peggy Taylor abstained, and
Commissioner Brian Rossmann, the only active librarian on the commission,
cast the one opposing vote.

Dana Gonzalez, who spoke in favor of withdrawing from the ALA, said the
commission “ought not promote, celebrate or support what scripture
condemns” and then quoted Bible scriptures that she said condemned what
Drabinski wrote in her tweet, according to the Daily Montanan.

Bozeman parent Cheryl Tusken also spoke in favor of the motion.

“I think this is a really good move to send a really clear signal to our
national organizations that we are not in agreement with the direction
they are taking these organizations,” Tusken said, according to the
Montana Free Press.

Rossmann, who works at the Montana State University Library, said the ALA
presidency is “largely a ceremonial role,” the Montana Free Press
reported.

Susan Gregory, the director of the Bozeman Public Library, spoke in
opposition to the measure. In her 40 years of involvement with the ALA,
she said, she has never seen the organization provide a program or
presentation about Marxism.

“We don’t leave the United States because we don’t like or agree with
whomever the sitting President of the United States is,” Gregory said in a
written statement to the commission. “I hope that the Montana State
Library Commission will understand the critical importance of remaining in
our professional association so that we know what is happening in the
world, our country and neighboring states to improve public libraries.”

Last year, the Montana State Library Commission voted down a proposed logo
that used rainbow colors because some members said it didn’t clearly
convey the library’s work. During debate over the logo, multiple members
who ultimately voted against it said it looked too similar to the LGBTQ
Pride flag, the Montana Free Press reported. The commission subsequently
adopted an alternate logo with an updated color scheme.

The commission’s actions are examples of a larger trend of libraries being
pulled into the national debate over what information children can access
freely at school or in libraries — particularly when that information
includes LGBTQ people or themes.

Conservative advocacy groups and some elected officials have painted LGBTQ
books and content in schools as “grooming,” using a decades-old false
moral panic about LGBTQ people.

In the last few years, parents and local conservative advocacy groups have
started asking for certain books to be removed completely from schools and
public libraries. In its annual book censorship report, the ALA found that
there was a 75% increase in the number of challenges against books between
2021 and 2022.

Of the 13 books that made the ALA’s “Most Challenged Books” list in 2022,
seven — more than half — were challenged for having LGBTQ content.

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/montana-state-library-withdraws-
national-library-group-presidents-marx-rcna94130