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Fairfax County library slammed for displaying ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Lawn Boy’ with Bible

‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Lawn Boy’ were paired with gnomes that had blue and yellow stocking-hats while the Bible had a gnome wearing a rainbow-colored hat

A library in Fairfax County, Virginia, has found itself engulfed in controversy after it placed controversial books like ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Lawn Boy’ on display alongside Bible for “holiday reading”. But after the outrage, the books have been removed.

In a statement, Fairfax County Public Library Director Jessica Hudson told Fox News on Tuesday, December 7: “The Dolley Madison Library holiday reading display was intended to highlight the freedom to read and the fact that many library patrons have more time during the holidays to do so. It was not the intention of staff to create a display that could be construed as offensive. The display has been removed.”

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According to reports, the local library had put gnomes with stocking-style hats and books. ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Lawn Boy’ were paired with gnomes that had blue and yellow stocking-hats respectively while the Bible had a gnome wearing a rainbow-colored hat. The display also included quotes from controversial books, like Salman Rushdie’s ‘The Satanic Verses’.

Reportedly, ‘Lawn Boy’ by Jonathan Evison is a story of a young adult man, but it includes a big chunk of sections that speaks of his explicit experiences when he was 10 years old. Maia Kobabe’s ‘Gender Queer: a Memoir’, on the other hand, contains graphic details of a sexual encounter between a boy and a man. Both the books have been a constant bone of contention at school board meetings. Parents have protested against them, but the school district reinstalled the books after two committees announced that they do not contain any material that is offensive and not suitable for students.

Pointing fingers at the display, Stacy Langton, a Fairfax County mother, who had earlier confronted the school district over the books, told Fox News: “It’s so outrageously offensive. It was intentional, it was meant to be offensive.” Langton also shared the pictures of the display on Twitter and wrote: “At #FairfaxCounty Dolley Madison Library mocks my efforts to remove #PornInSchools and mocks Christianity! These are YOUR taxpayer dollars, Virginia! #GenderQueer #LawnBoy #IWontBackDown @GlennYoungkin @JasonMiyaresVA @WinsomeSears @RichAndersonRPV @SebGorka.”

The mother said that when she spoke about the issue with library staff, she was told it was the decision of Mary Prisbrey, the branch manager at the library. However, later in the noon when she visited the library, the books were taken down. She said, “The timing on this – it’s an intentional dig. It’s a dig on the parents who object to pornography and pedophilia-themed materials in the library, and it’s a dig on Christians as a whole. I think everybody knows where Jesus stands on pedophilia.”

“They’re saying that we’re not entitled to want a library space that is free of porn and pedophilia. The tolerant Left is giving you guys some holiday hate. Merry Christmas, taxpayers of Fairfax County, Merry Christmas,” Langton stated, before adding that she will hold a protest outside the Dolley Madison Public Library on the afternoon of December 11.

Meanwhile, several people reacted to Langton’s post on Twitter with one saying, “So it’s fine to have these in a public school library BUT Twitter has to put a warning on this tweet!  Think about that.” Another one noted, “Why would any decent person ever step foot in the degenerate library again. Leave it empty.” “And what's up with the gnomes displaying porn for kids next to the Bible?” a person asked.