The Columbia-Marion County Public Library has pulled a series of LGBTQ+ books off its shelves until its Wednesday board meeting after it was alleged last week that one of the books in the “Heartstopper” series was found in the children’s section.
The series follows the stories of a pair of male British teenagers who meet at school and fall in love. The series also follows many of their friends who are also a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The series is a collection of graphic novels that includes depictions and descriptions of the two boys kissing and having sexual discussions.
Mayor Justin McKenzie said one of the city’s aldermen received a message last week from a concerned citizen who found the third book of the five-part series in the children’s section. He reached out to library officials about the situation and asked them if they believed the book was appropriate. He was told that it was a series intended to be in the young adult section of the library and that he was welcome to fill out a complaint form that would be seen by the library’s review panel. A C-P reporter asked to see the books Monday morning but was told they had been pulled from the shelves and were offered a chance to fill out a form as well.
McKenzie said he and other city and county officials have received several complaints from concerned citizens about the issue.
The mayor checked with city officials and learned that neither the City of Columbia nor Marion County officials have authority to tell the library what books it can possess.
While several aldermen have expressed concerns about what is available to children in the community, there is very little that can be done from a legal standpoint.
“The city has not threatened to pull funding or anything at this point,” McKenzie said.
Library officials declined to comment on the situation until its board can meet Wednesday, instead opting to pull the books from the shelves, at least temporarily.
McKenzie said, in his personal opinion, books like “Heartstopper” should not be in the public library if it engages with or is promoted to children under the age of 18.
“If children under the age of 21 aren’t allowed to have a beer or buy a gun — if they’re not at a mentally disciplined stage in life — then I don’t think them being able to make those decisions is really it. So, no, I don’t think it’s age appropriate to be at the library,” he explained. “We shouldn’t be using a facility like that to be pushing any sort of agenda on children under the age of 18.”
The C-P will follow up with the Columbia-Marion County Public Library following the board meeting.
