Jan. 9 – NEW ALBANY – More than 100 people attended the Floyd County Library trustees’ meeting on Monday night, disagreeing over the reading of “The Prince and the Knight” at Story Hour for Kids at the Galena chapter last week. expressed.
“The Prince and the Knight” contains a same-sex couple who fall in love and get married.
Librarians did not comment on the issue after the public comment section closed.
Library director Melissa Merida issued a statement about the situation on the library’s website in January.
“The Floyd County Library recognizes that it serves a community of more than 78,000 individuals of diverse backgrounds,” she said in a statement. “In creating Storytime, we strive to include all community members.
“In response to recent concerns about storytime content, the library will adjust processes to allow parents/guardians to opt out of materials they feel are not appropriate for their child. A storytime book will be placed 10 minutes before each storytime to allow parents to review the titles included. You can enter and leave the .We ask that all participants be respectful.
“Library leadership and staff take the concerns of our library patrons seriously and strive to find a balance in serving everyone and not discriminate in our services.”
Those who spoke out in support of the library and books said they appreciated representativeness and inclusiveness in programming.
Proponents said the book shows children different types of family structures and literary representations of families of children with same-sex parents and members of the LGBTQ community.
Mental health therapist Karen Bassett believes that presenting LGBTQ people in literature may save the lives of some young people, and many young people in the community are facing suicidal thoughts and coping with mental health issues. says there is.
“Inclusion in literature is literally life-saving,” Bassett said. “Kids need to be able to see themselves in the books they read. I understand that policies have changed since all this began. If so, that’s fine. These books are a must for kids across the spectrum.”
Opponents said the book’s themes run counter to their religious beliefs and that parents should be able to choose what their children hear during story time in the library.
They asked that the library announce the title of the book 24 hours in advance so that parents could choose whether to attend with their child.
Susan Hunt said she was at story time when the book was read last week.
“When they were working on ‘The Prince and the Knight,’ it was read out and finished,” Hunt said. “As I listened to the story, I came to understand the content of the story, and I was shocked because the prince and the knight fell in love and got married…
“I don’t want my children or grandchildren to force it. If a parent wants to get the book and read it to their child, so be it. The child can choose what they want to do.” As for our family, we are Christians, we believe in the Bible that men and women should marry, so I’m here tonight.”
