Normally we hear about gay haters trying to yank books like And Tango Makes Three out of public libraries. But now Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) is trying to insert a whole new class of books onto shelves: their own.
Still high off their new legal recognition, PFOX is calling on libraries to include works like You Don’t Have to Be Gay and A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality — which the group says aren’t being stocked because ex-gays are being discriminated against! (A Parent’s Guide is currently No. 37 in Amazon’s “Parenting & Families – Parenting – Teenagers” category.)
While public and school libraries may carry books with a, ahem, positive slant on homosexuality, there isn’t much of a “Hey, you can ditch the gay lifestyle” selection. Then again, leading medical groups and the American Psychological Association are in agreement: Changing your sexuality is impossible, and the only possible reason to counsel anyone to give up their same-sex feelings is so they can be in line with their religious beliefs.
So why stock books that are based in disinformation and heretical declarations? The best argument we could come up with: Because the Self-Help section is basically that already.
How about we take this to the next level?
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But hey, if ex-gays get their books stocked, make sure they’re positioned next to Creationism theory and, well, Sarah Palin’s new one.
Cinci Chris
“Ex gay” seems to me like people who are really gay but have learned to resist their gay “temptations.” Now is that really ex gay or just returning to the closet out of fear and shame?
Attmay
Because they already have enough fairy tales.
Emily
I thought that much was pretty obvious.
marc
I would just like to point out that the Chicago Public Library and dozens of other public libraries around the country do have “You Don’t Have to Be Gay” – as does the Gerber/Hart library (a private GLBT library in Chicago): http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25874169&referer=brief_results
People and organizations with their own ideological crusades or a need for publicity try to donate their books to libraries ALL THE TIME! Just so they can then accuse libraries of “censorship” because they won’t accept their donations. That’s why libraries create collection development policies, so that when people go off on their attention-grabbing crusades (inevitably assisted by a less-than-objective “news” source), the libraries have something to back them up with. Of course, neither PFOX nor Foxnews.com is interested in pointing that out…
Also, for what it’s worth, your post (and the Foxnews.com article) make it sound like they’ve been offering the books to both public and school libraries, but it seems from digging deeper that they’re only targeting schools – and intentionally obscuring this fact.
Greg Ever
The problem with this is that they are trying to change the wrong thing. They aim to change the thing that is not a choice and cannot be changed (their sexuality), rather than the thing that is a choice and can be changed (their religious beliefs). It’s completely illogical. The reasonable thing to do if you are gay but your religion does not approve of homosexuality is to change your religion, not deny your true feelings.
jason
You can’t be ex-gay orientation. Your orientation is set. What they mean is that you must deny your same-sex orientation and experiences through a combination of shame and self-control.
Me
I’ve seen those types of books plenty of times on library shelves.
Tallskin
Because to have a book entitled “You don’t have to be gay” is exactly the same as having a book entitled “You don’t have to be black/yellow/brown/blue eyed, left handed etc etc”
Dumb
And if books entitled “You don’t have to be gay” are allowed then I demand we also have books entitled “You don’t have to believe in a non-existent sky pixie” on the same shelves!
McShane
Thanks for the tip; they woun’t be there long!
ricky
well, as there is NO such thing as an ex gay it seems quite proper not to let the books in.
David
It would be appropriate and accurate to classify such books as fiction and shelve them accordingly, alongside other works of fantasy and make-believe.
Bill S
They should stock Richard Cohen’s “Alfie’s Home”. It’s allegedly a children’s book, but it really belongs in the “horror” or “humour” section.
I found the entire book online once, a long time ago. I can’t find the link for it anymore. Has anyone else ever read it? It’s the most disturbing book aimed at children ever written.
Phoenix (The Daily Fail Sucks @SS)
I’m sure they stock them….check out the fiction section. I’m sure they have a couple of shelves over there.
p.s. If you’re “ex-gay” doesn’t that mean you’re “straight”?
Tony
Speaking as someone who suffers from the homosexuality I to have had to resist the gay temptation otherwise I’d ***** **** ******** **** every georgious man I meet right there in the middle of the road. then I’d ***** ****** *** and ********** ***** then ******* ******** ***** till I could ***** ****** *** and ********** ***** then ******* ******** ***** no more.
And because my religion commands me not to lie with a man as if with a woman I have to lie with a man as if with a man. God told me too, so there.
terrwill
The reason these “ex-Gays” want these books on Libray shelves is that everyone knows the ailes in a Libray is a great place to cruise for anonymous Gay sex. The “ex-Gays” love anonymous Gay crusie areas the kind of places where “ex-Gays” usually go to get barebacked………….
Buffy
Libraries don’t have any books by the KKK either, but it has nothing to do with “discrimination” against the KKK.
hephaestion
I did a survey of gay books in American public libraries a few years ago, and at that time found that shockingly few public libraries in America have any gay-themed books at all. Almost no books aimed at children existed anywhere, not even in many big city libraries. We tend to assume there are gay books in our libraries, but far too often they aren’t. Urge your local library to get some or they never will buy any. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Also, note that books on homosexuality are the most frequently stolen books in any library. Just because the catalog says “The Mayor of Castro Street” is there doesn’t mean it’s really there. Ask your library to replace those stolen books. Sometimes anti-gay people steal them. Sometimes terrified closeted gay people steal them.
Republican
What Hephaestion says is very true. I was shocked to see only one fiction and maybe two non-fiction books that would fall under the ‘gay’ label the last time I was at a library.
billy
You can be set free to live the life that Christ has called you to live . . . an that includes freedom from homosexuality!! GOOD NEWS!!
Mike
“Back in the Closet” an appropriate name for a ex-gay book.
Billy – You just don’t really understand, if one is gay, it’s best to live with it, many blessing will come. It has for me.