Please don’t confuse Drag Queen Story Time with a drag show. It’s not. The idea is, Drag Queens are very skilled at telling stories. *Because they have to be to survive* as Michael Bronski pointed out long ago … 

Ann Morrison Spinney

> On Jun 7, 2023, at 4:24 PM, Library Youth <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
> 
> Hi Janet,
> 
> I advise you to research the comments Kirk Cameron has made regarding the LGBTQIA community. He has actively engaged in hate speech against us (you can specifically see this in his circa 2012 interview with Piers Morgan), and he has very recently spoken out against books that include LGBTQIA family representation (to CBC news in particular). I'm quite sure there are more neutral individuals that could be hosted at one of our libraries.
> 
> We are information professionals and thus and I know we all have impeccable research skills. We should be thoroughly vetting anyone we welcome to speak at the library to ensure all of our community members can feel safe and supported when they walk through our doors.
> 
> Best,
> Andrea Kazilionis
> Head of Youth Services
> Gray Public Library
> 5 Hancock Street
> Gray, ME 04039
> 207-657-4110 ext. 205
> [log in to unmask]
> ________________________________
> From: Maine Libraries Discussion List <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Janet Wilson <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 3:50 PM
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [MELIBS-L] Kirk Cameron- My 2 Cents
> 
> Hadriane,
> 
> This sounds good until I remember that this conversation started with
> a warning about people reading Kirk Cameron's books in libraries.
> We're not talking here about Nazis, white supremacists, or even
> someone trying to keep LGBTQ+ people out of libraries. From what I can
> gather, Kirk Cameron objects to drag shows aimed at children, and he
> wants a chance to share a different perspective. Since there is still
> a great deal of disagreement about whether or not drag shows are
> beneficial to children (I believe they are not), it seems like this is
> something that we would still welcome dialog about.
> 
> Janet Wilson
> 
> Quoting Hadriane Hatfield <[log in to unmask]>:
> 
>> Thanks all for sharing. I agree with Ann, Brendon, Chip, Michael, and
>> others that we need to situate "neutrality" within the realities and
>> histories of librarianship in the US, and recognize that, in most
>> situations, it is not actually possible to be truly neutral. There are a
>> few articles/chapters that have really helped me better understand
>> neutrality in libraries as complicated, especially in practice. Citing them
>> here in case other folks find it helpful too:
>> 
>> Chiu, Anastasia, et al. “Not the Shark, but the Water: How Neutrality and
>> Vocational Awe Intertwine to Uphold White Supremacy
>> <https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edited-volume/5114/chapter-standard/3075315/Not-the-Shark-but-the-Water-How-Neutrality-and>.”
>> *Knowledge Justice: Disrupting Library and Information Studies through
>> Critical Race Theory*, edited by Sofia Y Leung and Jorge R López-McKnight,
>> The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2021, pp. 49–71.
>> 
>> "When the profession discusses *neutrality*, we believe that the profession
>> actually seeks equity. However, *neutrality *will not yield equitable
>> results and will always fall short because it relies on equity already
>> existing in society. This is not the condition of our current society, nor
>> is it true for the profession. Therefore, *neutrality *will actually work
>> toward reinforcing bias and racism" (56-57).
>> 
>> Ettarh, Fobazi. “‘The Future of Libraries:’ Vocational Awe in a
>> ‘Post-COVID’ World.” *The Serials Librarian*, vol. 82, no. 1–4, 4 May 2022,
>> pp. 17–22, https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdoi.org%2f10.1080%2f0361526x.2022.2028501.&c=E,1,TROsOduPdvk3SO4sx6HTdc53wQl2AS7ar6fnu_CTQt9_Vb_9aElY6l5A96O8bgx3jIkhyOw6J3ESmOxmiRf7yzE6YSK4HZhPP5NdubA7i9M-E3dqm0bNsBnC&typo=1
>> 
>> "When we talk about libraries and access to all, we very often forget to
>> mention the history of segregation in libraries... In many cases, libraries
>> closed rather than integrate; or to discourage socializing and mixing of
>> groups, they would take away all the tables and chairs in a specific room
>> made for integrating whereas the rest of the library would remain
>> segregated to prevent the idea that mixing would be a good thing. Even if
>> we are thinking in a more current context, policies such as allowing
>> Trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) and Nazis to have meetings in
>> libraries show that we aren't in fact open to all... there is no such place
>> as a safe space for Nazis that are safe spaces for everyone. The inherent
>> bigotry involved in Nazism and TERFdom show that the personhood of other
>> people doesn't matter and isn't there; therefore, the only people who can
>> be safe in spaces with Nazis and TERFs and other bigots are those who
>> either believe in these same ideology or are privileged enough not to trip
>> any wires that would suggest otherness" (19).
>> 
>> 
>>> On Sat, Jun 3, 2023 at 4:35 PM Chase Emerson <[log in to unmask]>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I don't often weigh in here; but while we're on this topic, I feel
>>> compelled to share the following. Years ago I borrowed a library book that
>>> had a political bent not shared by the majority of the residents. (My
>>> husband has a degree in political science and enjoys reading differing
>>> viewpoints on that subject.) As the librarian glanced at the cover I could
>>> see distaste on her face. After checking it out, she placed it face down on
>>> my stack in which she placed all others face up. Her message was clear; she
>>> disapproved of the book and wanted me to know it. Hopefully we aren't all
>>> as transparent as that. Neutrality is a challenge that requires fairly
>>> vigilant self-examination, and we need to be mindful of the messages we
>>> send in gestures both large and small.
>>> 
>>> Deborah Clark shared this article a while back--
>>> 
>>> https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fscholarlykitchen.sspnet.org%2f2022%2f03%2f03%2flibraries-and-the-contested-terrain-of-neutrality%2f&c=E,1,QNXEF5rfixSS71eF6fUFwhjVvVxX21G-35hGhqbU9Ufk1WiTEJNrvj9OEvz6UvTmUd8wvqGpAc3I0lzVea9rJ-oAeE3q0Wd9UFGOti5puTHv2oN582QueA,,&typo=1
>>> 
>>>> On Sat, Jun 3, 2023 at 3:24 PM Brendon B <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> If neutrality (yours, mine, ours, etc.) benefits one group of people more
>>>> than another, it's not neutrality.
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> 
>>> *Nina Woodward*
>>> *Library Director*
>>> *Chase Emerson Memorial Library*
>>> *17 Main St., P.O. Box 9*
>>> *Deer Isle, ME 04627*
>>> 
>>> *https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdeerislelibrary.org&c=E,1,6rBtVdQAa_ORm95BBJFlulDy-xTNlb7-iJV0m61Lquzey7_qqgPb1uaxiDBqAq-v2N0LCWTRnC6BEwNYdStXeQWjp2d6PvDgJ5SYvKvCS_9GHqZTRdyEu26lwdQ,&typo=1 <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fdeerislelibrary.org&c=E,1,w3T3GPMjpwMibFEo7ibp1ZHNm3y75EWq5UtVcKOTLhMnNXwvrPVZ-YCgBuDLjAUy7dwaKka39JnnlBEdf3PzrETAFv58t2nW6P9gRHQKEqY,&typo=1>*
>>> *(207) 348-2899*
>>> 
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> 
> 
> --
> Janet Wilson, Director
> Rangeley Public Library
> P.O. Box 1150
> 7 Lake St.
> Rangeley, ME 04970
> (207)864-5529
> [log in to unmask]
> This electronic mail message and any attachments hereto, as well as any electronic mail message(s) that may be sent in response to it, may be considered public records, and may therefore be subject to public record requests for review and copying under Maine's Right to Know Law (Title 1, 401-521 of the Maine Revised Statutes).
> This electronic mail message and any attachments hereto, as well as any electronic mail message(s) that may be sent in response to it, may be considered public records, and may therefore be subject to public record requests for review and copying under Maine's Right to Know Law (Title 1, 401-521 of the Maine Revised Statutes).