Proposed Book Ban Shot Down In Glen Ridge; LGBTQ Advocates Cheer

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A proposed book ban at the Glen Ridge Public Library was defeated on Wednesday at a packed meeting of the board of trustees.

Over the past few months, a conservative advocacy group made up of eight people – Citizens Defending Education – has been trying to remove six books with LGBTQ+ themes from the town library. Meanwhile, a larger group of parents, residents, clergy, and educators have been rallying to keep the books in the library, claiming the ban would send a "clear message" that people who identify as LGBTQ+ aren't welcome in Glen Ridge. Read More: Book Ban At Glen Ridge Library? NJ Parents Draw Lines In The Sand

The debate has also captured the attention of many people in Montclair, which borders Glen Ridge and shares more than 600,000 books with the library as part of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System.

The books in question include: “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, “Here and Queer” by Rowan Ellis and Jacky Sheridan, “It’s Not the Stork” by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley, “It’s Perfectly Normal” by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley, “This Book is Gay” by James Dawson, and “You Know, Sex” by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth.

The Glen Ridge Public Library offers a summary of the battle of books on its website, which revolves around the following question: Are these works “appropriate” for the intended age group?

In October 2022, the library received “request for reconsideration” forms from Citizens Defending Education. The library director decided to keep the six books on the shelves, which spurred an appeal.

The board shot down that appeal on Wednesday in a unanimous vote, which was done before a standing room-only crowd of hundreds of people.

In one of the most emotional moments of the night, Kaye Johnson, Stephanie Elder and Sarah Elder – the mother and aunts of Plainfield native George M. Johnson, author of one of the challenged books, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” – read a statement from the author:

“Our books are not introducing teens to hard topics. They are simply the resource needed so that they can understand the hard topics that they are living out day to day. As a Black queer person. I know what it’s like to read books that don’t tell my story … You have every right to not allow YOUR child to read it. But you don’t get to trample on the rights of parents like my mother and my aunts who have raised LGBTQ teens who needed books like these.”

The group that led the campaign against the ban – Glen Ridge United Against Book Bans – cheered the board’s decision.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our town, this beautiful, sweet town,” they declared on social media. “Glen Ridge United, indeed.”

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According to the library, Citizens Defending Education is made up of eight Glen Ridge residents who hail from five households.

The group – which bashes “critical race theory” and “augmenting student reading lists with ideologically driven content on race and sexuality” on its website – says that its members are “seeking transparency and accountability on all issues involving the school district,” particularly the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives being implemented statewide.

The group’s website reads:

“Many of us moved to towns like Glen Ridge because of the reputation of the schools and the expectation our children receive an education that will prepare them for a successful future. However, rather than focusing on traditional education and teaching students ‘how to think,’ public school boards, administrators, and teachers are moving more toward teaching our children ‘what to think.’ While we uphold the right of individuals to choose how they want to live their lives, we also expect the public schools to respect parents’ choices on how they raise their children. Not all parents want their children indoctrinated in race-based theories, reading sexually explicit material, or being taught in the classroom to question their sexuality or gender identity. We don’t believe teacher unions, administrators, local school boards, or outside agencies should be deciding on and implementing a curriculum aimed at shaping our children’s hearts and minds outside the purview of their parents. Our Glen Ridge CDE group, along with many others forming across the nation, is focused on holding our schools accountable and demanding full transparency.”

The group has since declared it is not trying to “ban books,” and is only trying to get the library to “consider removing, relocating or putting mechanisms in place to protect minors in Glen Ridge from coming into casual contact with material of this nature.”

Glen Ridge United Against Book Bans has disputed that claim, calling it misleading and citing records to the contrary. A recent social media post from the group shows one of the requests for removal submitted by Citizens Defending Education, on which the following question is posed: "What would you like the library to do about this work?"

"Burn it," the person's reply states.

“We cherish the [library] and want our children to have access to materials that expand their views of themselves and others,” said Erin Ackerman, a professional librarian and parent of a Glen Ridge fourth-grader said.

“Parents have the right to guide their children's reading, but parents should not be making decisions for other’s children,” Ackerman said.

• See related article: NJ Teachers Union Leaders Concerned By Book Banning In Schools

Phil Johnson, a Glen Ridge resident who helped to organize the anti-ban campaign, said that banning the six titles would be equal to “suppressing LGBTQ+ representation.”

“The banning of these books would send a clear message that our friends and neighbors who identify as LGBTQ+ are not welcome in Glen Ridge,” Johnson said.

After Wednesday's vote, Johnson said the group was thankful to the more than 500 neighbors and 50 speakers who showed up at the meeting.

“We are blessed to have a wonderful public library in Glen Ridge – one in which we can all find ourselves, whoever you are and whatever your interests,” Johnson said.

The members of Glen Ridge United Against Book Bans aren’t the only ones who were outraged by the proposed ban.

Out Montclair, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ people, cheered the board’s decision on Wednesday.

“The board’s vote reflects the overwhelming support shown tonight for books, the freedom to read and love for every LGBTQIA+ person, youth and family,” said Peter Yacobellis, Out Montclair’s executive director.

“A chorus of voices came together, all ages, races, religions, LGBTQIA+ and allies, to say that all should be welcome in the library and find books that represent them in the library and out in the open – where they belong,” added Yacobellis, who serves as a town councilman in Montclair.

Nearly 3,000 people have signed an online petition against the proposed ban, the group pointed out.

The ACLU of New Jersey also weighed in, writing the library director a letter earlier this week that called the proposed ban a “dangerous effort.”

“Historically, book banning has long been used to marginalize underrepresented and disempowered voices and communities, and we are particularly troubled by the dangerous anti-LEGBTQ+ rhetoric that has accompanied much of the recent book banning advocacy,” the ACLU-NJ wrote.

“For LGBTQ+ youth who are isolated at home, in school, or in their community, access to LGBTQ+ representation or information in books and literature can be a refuge – and in some cases, life-saving,” the ACLU-NJ said, adding that courts have repeatedly ruled that censoring books because they express support for LGBTQ+ people is a form of discrimination prohibited by the First Amendment.

Jane Clementi, the mother of Tyler Clementi – who took his life 12 years ago in New Jersey after a threat of being outed as a college freshman – implored the library board to “save your LGBTQ+ youth from years of anguish, depression, and self-hatred” prior to Tuesday’s vote.

“Your actions as leaders within your town will impact everyone in your town, not only those members of the LGBTQ+ community, but your straight youth as well,” Clementi said. “Your straight youth are looking at you to see if their queer peers should be harassed, intimidated, or bullied, or if they are worthy of a place in your community.”

Other people who have criticized the proposed ban include:

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. – “I strongly support the Glen Ridge Library director’s decision to keep LGBTQ-themed books on the shelves of the Glen Ridge Public Library. Having access to and reading an LGBTQ-themed book has the power to promote understanding and respect. Recently, there have been far too many local episodes that are dividing our community. Let’s learn from our differences, overcome these obstacles and come together as one united Essex County.”

Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill – “Few of our rights and freedoms capture the values of this country and ensure our democracy more than the freedom of speech and expression, and few institutions should embody those values more than government-funded public libraries. That’s why the movement in Glen Ridge to ban books from the public library is so egregious, particularly when the subject of those books—gender identity and sexual orientation—speak directly to a person’s right and freedom to express who they are … I fully support the Glen Ridge Library and the local residents who are standing up to this attack on our democracy to defend and preserve the free exchange of ideas.”

Laura Hoge, clinical director of Spectrum Health in Montclair – “In the last few years, I have spoken to teachers, doctors, social workers, counselors, school board members, the list goes on. I’ve quoted devastating statistics, written op-eds, told first person accounts. The bottom line is this: Where you stand tonight matters. You can either normalize the existence of LGBTQ individuals, or you can become part of the very stigma that threatens the lives of some of the most vulnerable and valuable children in your community.”

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