By Lena Folke
Medill Reports
With Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’s new bill passing the Senate, Illinois would be the first state to protect libraries from book bans. Although this is state action, how does this legislation impact privately owned libraries carrying some of these nationally challenged books? In this story, we hear from Gerber Hart Library and Archives, a non-profit Chicago organization with the biggest collection of LGBTQ+ material in the Midwest.
TRANSCRIPT
LENA FOLKE, REPORTER:
WELCOME TO MEDILL NEWSMAKERS.
I’M LENA FOLKE COMING TO YOU WITH STATE POLITICS, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND BOOKS.
THIS MAY, ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE ALEXI GIANNOULIAS INITIATES A HOUSE BILL WITH LEGISLATIVE FOCUS ON PREVENTING LIBRARY BOOK BANS.
IN THE PROPOSAL, THE STATE WILL ONLY GRANT FUNDS TO LIBRARIES THAT FOLLOW THE LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS, WHICH ENCOURAGES LIBRARIES TO CHALLENGE CENSORSHIP.
THIS BILL NOT ONLY SHOWS ITS SUPPORT FOR THE MATERIAL IN PUBLIC CHICAGO LIBRARIES BUT ALSO FOR THE PRIVATELY OWNED LIBRARIES WITH NO COLLECTION BUDGET.
ONE OF THEM IS THE GERBER HART LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES.
A PRIVATE NONPROFIT BUSINESS IN ROGERS PARK, GERBER HART HOLDS THE BIGGEST COLLECTION OF LGBTQ+ MATERIAL IN THE MIDWEST.
ERIN BELL, GERBER HART’S OPERATIONS DIRECTOR: “We were started 42+ years ago as a means, of basically thinking ahead to times like we find ourselves in today, where public libraries that may have collections featuring LGBTQ+ books and resources are being challenged.”
CAMPBELL ROYALES, GERBER HART VOLUNTEER: “I’m aware that I know very little about just the queer experience, whatever that means. But it is nice to be around so many different versions of that with the materials that are being offered. And I’ve been reading a lot of the zines in the archives right now that’s been really exciting for me, and I really feel like I’ve been connecting to a piece of history that I’ve longed for.”
DOMENIC DESOCIO, GERBER HART VOLUNTEER: “I mean, even though we’re a completely private institution and not, you know, we’re not public in the sense that we’re funded by taxpayer money and, you know, this this messaging that this book bans and sort of the scare around public libraries still also affects us.”
FOLKE: IN DATA COLLECTED BY THE OFFICE OF INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM IN THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. IT IS EVIDENT THAT BOOK BANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE INCREASED OVER THE PAST YEAR. THIS GRAPH WAS FEATURED IN THE 2023 STATE OF AMERICA’S LIBRARIES REPORT, AND YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THIS JUMP FROM 2021 TO 2022.
IN JUST ONE YEAR, OVER 700 NEW BOOK TITLES WERE CHALLENGED, NEARLY DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF BOOKS BANNED IN 2021.
WHEN LOOKING AT THIS DATA MORE CLOSELY TO US, THE CHICAGO AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION REPORTS THAT ILLINOIS HAD 67 ATTEMPTS TO BAN BOOKS, AN INCREASE FROM THE 41 ATTEMPTS IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THUS, GIANNOULIAS’S CALL FOR ACTION.
KAITLYN GRIFFITH, GERBER HART VOLUNTEER: “I think that Gerber heart Hart would be impacted in a in a general sense, in the same way that, like Illinois, would be impacted.”
JEN DENTEL, GERBER HART’S PROGRAM & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: “In large part, we were created because it was a space that other institutions were not collecting these materials or didn’t deem them important.”
KAITLYN GRIFFITH, GERBER HART VOLUNTEER: “We can’t depend on the legislature, state or federal, or on the city to defend the interests of the queer community, historically that’s never really happened.”
FOLKE: AMONG SOME OF THE NATIONALLY BANNED TITLES ARE “I AM JAZZ.” THIS BOOK IS GAY AND GENDERQUEER. ALL TITLES WHICH EXPLORE GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUALITY.
IN ADDITION TO MEETING WITH GERBER HEART HART STAFF, I SPOKE WITH THE UNIT HEAD OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AT HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY PUBLIC LIBRARY CENTER, JOHANNA RUSS, ABOUT GIANNOULIAS, HIS HOUSE BILL, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING LGBTQ+ MATERIAL.
RUSS PROVIDED ME WITH HER THOUGHTS AS TO WHY THERE IS SUCH A GROWTH IN BOOK BANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
JOHANNA RUSS, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY UNIT HEAD OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: “There’s especially, with like, queer themes, such a fear that one of a family member or they themselves will be queer. And that’s the worst thing they could imagine, which is sad. But I think it’s all really based on fear and lack of understanding.”
FOLKE: ALTHOUGH CHICAGO IS KNOWN FOR ITS GENERALLY ACCEPTING ATTITUDE TOWARD THE LGBT COMMUNITY, THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT GERBER HART HASN’T FACED ITS CHALLENGES OF HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA.
DESOCIO: Two weeks ago, we received a really threatening phone call from a stranger, you know, telling us that we were perverts and that we were destroying the country and that we were corrupting children because we exist and that we were a threat to America.
FOLKE: STAFF MEMBER JEN DENTEL HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE OVER THE PHONE A FEW WEEKS AGO.
DENTEL: And so I was asking him questions, and then he started saying how disgusting we were and this was what was wrong with the country. So that was jarring. I think we are in a very, very safe, supportive bubble in Chicago and specifically in our communities. And so I think that there is a reminder that that is very present and that is very current and still something that is a threat.
FOLKE: GERBER HART’S OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, ERIN BELL, SAID SHE ALSO CAME ACROSS NEGATIVE COMMENTS WHEN LOOKING AT THE EMAIL SUBMISSIONS FOR GERBER HART’S VOLUNTEER SIGNUP FORM.
BELL: We have started to get at least one message through like a form that we use for people who are interested in volunteering So that to me says that somebody took the time to go on to our website, find any way of like reaching us directly and use that as a way of leaving us an unkind comment.
FOLKE: GERBER HART ASKS THAT ANYONE WANTING TO MAKE DONATIONS OR BECOME INVOLVED WITH VOLUNTEERING CAN VISIT THEIR FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, OR WEBSITE.
THANKS FOR WATCHING. I’M LENA FOLKE.
To make monetary donations to Gerber Hart, visit their donation page.
Lena Folke is a video and broadcast specialization student at the Medill School of Journalism. She is passionate about bringing visual aspects to social justice stories as well as arts and culture. You can connect with her on instagram @lena.folke or on twitter @LenaFolke.
