LAPEER COUNTY, Mich. – The library director in Lapeer County said she’d be willing to go to jail to keep a book on the shelves.
Lapeer County Prosecutor John Miller said his office is nowhere near pressing charges, but he is making his opinion known on a controversial book.
Library Director Amy Churchill said Gender Queer was purchased last year after a patron requested it is added to the collection. It’s been checked out ever since and has a waiting list of readers.
Gender Queer is a graphic memoir about the author’s road to identifying as non-binary and asexual. It has received many accolades and equal criticism for containing a few explicit illustrations depicting the author’s sexual discovery.
Miller began inquiring about the book after a citizen brought it to his attention.
“When these images were brought to my attention, I was kind of alarmed,” said Miller. “Where the law comes in, though, where I see it, this is not a Republican or Democrat issue. In my opinion, this deals with the sexual exploitation of children, and that’s why I chose to take action.”
To be clear, Miller says, there’s been no official investigation by his office, and therefore they’re nowhere near pressing charges.
But he is trying to get the public’s attention.
“I want our citizens of our county to understand that we have child protection laws in the state of Michigan,” Miller said. “Laws are already on the books, and this material, this book, in my opinion, meets some of the criteria for sexually exploitive materials.”
Churchill defends the book and its place in the library’s collection. She said it’s her job to provide a wide range of diverse materials that appeal to all audiences.
“I would stand behind every single book in our collection the same way I stand behind Gender Queer,” said Churchill.
Churchill said they’d received one formal request to reconsider the book, the only such request received in the library’s history. The reconsideration request process gives Churchill time to consider the request and respond, and then the petitioner can appeal the decision to the library board.
Churchill said the prosecutor’s opinion would have no bearing on her decision.
“His opinion, either personally or from a prosecutor’s stance on this book being in the collection, isn’t relevant to my decision-making process, and it will not weigh into my decision-making process,” Churchill said.
The topic is expected to be discussed at the library board meeting this Thursday (March 16). Miller plans to speak at the meeting.
The meeting is at 5:30 pm at 425 County Center St., Lapeer, MI, commonly known as the Lapeer Center Building.