biblio bigotry

Despite worldwide support, local homophobes may drive this LGBTQ-friendly library into the ground

A green sign displaying the Patmos Library.

Some homophobic citizens in this Michigan township may win out after all against the little queer-friendly library that could.

The small community of Patmos, located in Ottawa County’s Jamestown Township, found itself in an uproar this summer over the Patmos Library shelving books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes. The library’s annual millage (a.k.a. funding from local property taxes) for 2023 failed to pass the town vote in August due to the backlash, putting its future in jeopardy.

With citizens putting up signs like these, there was no question as to why the millage failed:

The story went viral, and donations to the library’s GoFundMe took off in a big way. In just over a month, they raised $264,535 from donors across the world, overshooting their annual millage of $245,000 through individual donations alone.

Now, a second attempt to secure city funding has been shot down, with their 10-year levy renewal losing in a vote of ~55%-45%. Though they’ve raised enough money to stay open for the short-term, the cut-off from city funding has library officials wondering when they’ll have to close their doors.

Related: Iowa homophobes force the only library in their city to close, because how dare people learn things

Bridge Michigan reports that Library Board President Larry Walton feared the renewal failing. Following this most recent vote, library hours will have to be curtailed to cut costs, and they may have to close completely by the fall of 2024.

“We cannot run the Patmos Public Library for the next decade without stable taxpayer support,” reads the Patmos Library website. “We will put these donations to work in the best way we can for as long as we can.”

This outcome is surprising in light of yesterday’s midterm election results. Not only did pro-LGBTQ Gov. Grethen Whitmer win reelection with almost 55% of the vote, but Democrats took control of both the state House and Senate, making it the first time the party has held a majority of seats in both of the state’s legislative chambers in almost 40 years.

Somehow, the blue wave didn’t make it past the Patmos border.

Related: Woman throws epic library tantrum over LGBT books, China, fentanyl, and whatever else she can think of

Library employees noted at a meeting this summer that out of an estimated 67,000 books on the shelf, there were only 90 books (about .015% of the inventory) that dealt with queer themes. Somehow, that fraction of a percent was grounds enough to see the entire library be shut down in this small community.

The path forward is another annual millage vote in August of 2024, just months before Walton expects the funds raised for this little library to run dry. For now, the workers are going to continue to do what they can with what they have, and the LGBTQ+ books will stay put until further notice.

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