Protestors attend a rally opposed to book banning and supporting inclusion Sept. 25 outside Henry Ford Centennial Library.
Protestors attend a Sept. 25 rally opposed to books being available to Dearborn Public Schools students without parental controls, including those containing LGBTQ+ information.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – What began as parental school board complaints coalesced into two separate protests Sept. 25, held at the city’s main library, with student access to books the main point of contention.
One side wants parents to be able to control which books their children may read, with respect to school system library access, including the power to block access to topics including human sexuality, particularly LGBTQ+ topics.
The other side decries any book banning, citing the importance of allowing children access to educational materials, both to broaden their minds and to allow them to get information on topics, especially LGBTQ+ books, which their parents might not provide.
The protestors against limiting book access met at noon, while a 2:30 p.m. rally in favor of parental controls over book access followed, both at Henry Ford Centennial Library.
The access to LGBTQ+ books is at the center of the controversy, with one side arguing that it allows children to understand their sexuality and not feel frightened and isolated, while the other side is vehemently opposed to what they categorize as a sexually inappropriate agenda, with a simmering undercurrent of homophobia.
Stephanie Butler, who has championed the exclusion of books parents oppose, has urged parents to fill out “opt out” forms to limit their children’s access to whichever books they wish to deny access.
The other side fears that blocking LGBTQ+ materials will further hinder inclusivity and understanding, and will allow homophobia to continue unchecked and to be passed on to future generations.
State Rep. Jeffrey Pepper (D-15th District) and City Councilmembers Leslie Herrick and Erin Byrnes spook at the noon rally opposing book access restrictions.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who did not attend either protest, later issued a statement in which he said public schools and libraries are the cornerstones of democracy.
“Everyone in our city has the right to pursue knowledge that betters their unique life journey, and we should refuse the false choice between parental responsibility and the freedom to learn,” he said. “As a parent and Mayor, I believe we can have both.”
Hammoud said healthy debate is essential to democracy, and no debate should vilify fellow community members.
“Dearborn is a welcoming community that invites people from all walks of life to be unapologetically themselves,” he said. “Even on issues as important as our children’s education, people can disagree on ideas without letting bad-faith actors tear our community apart.”
Hammoud reiterated that no books will be removed from the shelves of the city’s public libraries.
Retired Dearborn Public Schools teacher Paul Bruce, who spoke at the noon protest, and who spoke on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, said that when he was growing up, there were no books available in the Dearborn Public Schools to explain to him what it meant to be part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“How much easier, how much better my life would have been had only the knowledge of such people been available to a person who was one of them,” he said.
Bruce said that those wanting to ban student access to LGBTQ+ books and other materials are an example of an unenlightened group who would seek to turn back the clock on equality and fairness in the school district.
He noted that those who provide false information about the content of books do so to get them banned.
“The banning of books is the mark of a decaying society, not a thriving one,” Bruce said. “Ordering books to be banned is the mark of weak leadership, not strong. Read the books.”
Activist Stephanie Butler, who has complained to the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education about books available to students, speaks Sept. 25 about the parental right to prevent their children from reading books to which they wish to deny access, including those on LGBTQ+ topics.
Dearborn City Councilmember Leslie Herrick speaks to the crowd opposed to book banning and supporting inclusion Sept. 25 outside Henry Ford Centennial Library.