Carver County Library Board upholds reader freedom

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom. This editorial was written on behalf of the board by Star Tribune Opinion intern Noor Adwan, a 2023 graduate of the University of Minnesota.

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The Carver County Library Board made the right call Tuesday by unanimously deciding to keep the memoir "Gender Queer" on shelves following a challenge from a library patron in August.

Erin Busse, a Waconia resident, said at an Aug. 8 board meeting she took issue with the book's sexual content and unsuitability for children. But Maia Kobabe's "Gender Queer," rated online as being suitable for people in their late teens and above, was never shelved in the children's section of the library.

Busse also admitted to not having read the book. "I don't know what the words are. I only know the pictures," she said at the meeting.

An editorial writer, however, did read the book, and found no content in it that would brand it so inappropriate — so deviant — that it shouldn't be available even for adults to check out at the library. Those who have qualms based on the title or what they've heard about the book's contents have a choice: Don't read it.

What the book does contain is a detailed account of a queer person's experience coming out and coming of age. While Busse said at the meeting that her issue with the book wasn't related to its queer themes, one is led to wonder why "Gender Queer" has been singled out — in fact, it's the most banned book in the country — given the prevalence of sexual content in literature.

As the Editorial Board wrote just a few weeks ago, while challenges to books intended for diverse audiences may be presented as efforts to protect children, they're part of a greater endeavor to quash freedom of expression. Busse's challenge wasn't unique: extremist groups like Moms for Liberty have been pushing — often successfully — for "Gender Queer" to be banned from libraries across the country.

The Carver County Library Board deserves kudos for a number of things. First, for not caving to so-called "parental rights" types who believe the entire public — adults included — should be beholden to their expectations for their children. Second, for not setting a precedent that would empower patrons to facilitate the removal of any old book that offends them. And finally, for maintaining Minnesota's status as a state that unabashedly defends the freedom to read.