Libraries asked to stock ex-gay literature

saratiddyTue 09/09/08 18:35

A US organisation "devoted exclusively to exposing and countering the homosexual activist agenda" is backing a new campaign targeting public libraries.

Americans for Truth's Peter LaBarbera said there should be a balance in the selections that libraries carry on the "homosexual issue."

"There is no logical or common sense reason why taxpayer-funded public libraries should make available every latest 'gay'-affirming book — including those designed to open up young minds to the false and dangerous notion that homosexuality is normal — while NOT carrying faith-based and ex-'gay' books that oppose a pro-homosexual ideology," he said.

A sample letter to librarians on the Americans for Truth website, from a member of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays, reads:

"I could not find many books about leaving homosexuality or the origins of same sex attractions. Every day parents of gay children search for answers to their children's condition only to be given the same information: 'deal with it' or 'they are born that way'.

"Neither of these are satisfactory options for the concerned parent. In addition to the numerous homosexual books which appears on your library system, your library needs to provide ex-gay books to everyone seeking it.

"Please provide equal access to all information, including ex-gay books.

"According to the American Library Association, libraries cannot support censorship and a librarian's professional code requires them to seek out books that represent a wide range of viewpoints."

Activists are being encouraged to write to local "schools, libraries, school boards, and politicians to alert them to this systematic censorship."

The sample letter lists some books on the ex-gay philosophy, including Light in the Closet: Torah, Homosexuality, and the Power to Change by Arthur Goldberg and A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality by Joseph and Linda Nicolosi.

Public libraries in the US are a familiar battleground for homosexual issues.

A heart-warming tale of same-sex love and parenting among New York penguins has topped the list of books most complained about in American libraries for the second year running.

Among other literary works in the top ten are The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn [alleged racism] and Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass [anti-religious].

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, was published in 2005.

It is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, who formed a couple in New York's Central Park Zoo.

They attempted to hatch a rock, which was replaced by a rejected egg from a mixed gender couple by zookeepers.

They then adopted the baby penguin Tango as their own.

The book is accused of promoting homosexuality and being 'anti-family' as well as unsuitable for its age group.

It has attracted great controversy in US states with parents in Illinois and Missouri requesting the book be placed in a restricted or non-fiction section of the library.

"The complaints are that young children will believe that homosexuality is a lifestyle that is acceptable.

"The people complaining, of course, don't agree with that," said Judith Krug, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

The number of reported library complaints dropped from 546 in 2006 to 420 in 2007.

Article: www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8953.html

... What are your views on this? If it was suggested in this country for our libraries to stock ex-gay literature, what would you do? Would it be like keeping books supporting racism and sexism? I would be surprised if a library kept those books on its shelves, so why ones on the ex-gay movement. It gives the impression that it is a choice. I would love to know other people's thoughts.