Civics, Libraries Two protesters thought that "book displays based on how adults experience gender identity have no place in a public space for children". Their community disagreed.

The San Diego Public Library’s parade contingent marching in the San Diego Pride Parade on the 15th of this month. Credit John Francis Peters for The New York Times

In June Adrianne Peterson, the manager of the Rancho Peñasquitos branch of the San Diego Public Library made a modest display of L.G.B.T.Q affirming books in honor of Pride Month. In short order two people took it upon themselves to check out every single title. Subsequently they sent what amounted to a ransom note, stating that "We plan to keep these books checked out until the library agrees to permanently remove the inappropriate content from the shelves". The community had other ideas. Writing in the New York Times Jill Cowan reports that "stacks of Amazon boxes containing new copies of the books the protesters checked out started to arrive at the library after The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on the protest. Roughly 180 people, mostly San Diegans, gave more than $15,000 to the library system, which after a city match will provide over $30,000 toward more L.G.B.T.Q.-themed materials and programming, including an expansion of the system’s already popular drag queen story hours." Article: They Checked Out Pride Books in Protest. It Backfired.