After a challenge by a citizen of Pella, the Pella Public Library Board voted unanimously to keep the graphic autobiography “Gender Queer: a Memoir,” shelved in the adult section of the library at their board meeting Tuesday. “Gender Queer” is an award winning book published in 2019 by Maia Kobabe that reviewers describe as a work documenting the struggle to learn what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, and serves as a guide on gender identity for queer people.

Over 50 people attended the meeting, with the majority speaking for the removal of the book. Some objected to the book in whole, while others objected to specific panels that they found to be pornographic or obscene. Some didn’t object to the message of the book, just that it was a graphic memoir that children might be attracted to. Others said it didn’t meet community standards. One person said that the city council would be asked to draft an ordinance against the distribution of obscene material, and wondered what other material was in the library that they might find objectionable. Most who spoke against the book said their main goal was to protect children from being exposed to its content. One person admitted that she had never read the book, and had just seen copies of what she found to be offensive panels.

Perhaps a third in attendance spoke in favor of the book, stressing that it offered literary merit, and could be extremely valuable for teens struggling with their own gender identity. They argued that queer people should be represented in public libraries, as they live in the Pella community. One theme was that it’s the responsibility of the parents to monitor what their children read, not library staff. Others said that just because the book didn’t agree with one person’s values, that it shouldn’t be available to others in the adult section.

Library Director Mara Strickler said that while the book does contain explicit content, its inclusion doesn’t violate Iowa law or library policy, and that the book meets standards for artistic and literary merit. She said that staff followed library processes for placing the book in the adult section of the library, after it was acquired at the request of a patron.

The board went into lengthy discussion, and after recognizing the concerns of those who objected to the book, found that library staff followed policy in the acquisition and shelving of the book in the adult section, and that “Gender Queer: a Memoir” should remain in circulation.

To listen to the entirety of the meeting, click below.

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