The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to prevent the county library from participating in local Pride celebrations.
Displays highlighting LGBTQ+ or transgender authors, history or Pride-themed reading lists could face increased scrutiny if tied to official Pride recognition.
The Fresno County Public Library requested $125 to host a booth at the Fresno Rainbow Pride event and sought approval to recognize and celebrate Pride month for the next five years. Both requests were blocked by Board Chair Garry Bredefeld and supervisors Buddy Mendes and Nathan Magsig.
This block only applies to the county library, which has 34 branches throughout Fresno County. Libraries such as the Fresno State Library will not have to abide by this block.
Tracy Cisneros, volunteer coordinator at Fresno Rainbow Pride, spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, in which she said she will be “waiving any participation fees for county offices and organizations” that wish to participate in the event.
Kathrine Fobear, professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexual Studies at Fresno State and coordinator of the LGBTQ2+ program, states this ban is a “blatant act of censorship with consequences that affect all of our constituents.”
“Whether or not someone personally celebrates Pride, the government should not use its authority to erase or marginalize an entire community from public life. Fresno County deserves leadership that supports inclusion, intellectual freedom and equal access to public institutions,” said Fobear.
The Fresno County Board meeting was largely divided as both supporters and critics of the county library’s request shared comments.
Many critics of the county library’s requests, such as Diane Pearce, Clovis Mayor Pro-Tempore, believe participation in Pride is “indoctrination.” Critics shared that they do not want their tax money to fund these celebrations and that they believe homosexuality is a “sin.”
“Approximately 69% of Fresno County residents identify themselves as Christian, which equates to approximately 759,000 people in Fresno County. 23% of Fresno County Residents identify themselves as LGBTQ,” a critic of the request said.
They also asked, “Is the library going to have a Christian month every year?”
Regarding participating in Pride events, supporters of the county library’s request emphasize the importance of remembering history.
Fobear states, “We remember our past so that we never forget those who fought for rights and freedoms, and those who suffered before those rights were secured.” She added,” LGBTQ+ Pride Month and Pride parades emerged from a collective struggle against police and government violence, as well as the hateful societal attitudes that criminalized, censored, attacked, and killed LGBTQ+ people.”
Supporters of the library’s request shared anecdotes about moments when libraries were their safe space in self-discovery.
“Our library is a public resource, and it is not a place for one interest group to demand the removal of another from that public resource,” a constituent supporting the county library’s request stated.
