(Huntsville) An Alabama public library mistakenly added a children’s picture book to a list of potentially inappropriate titles because the author’s last name is “Gay,” library director says .
Tell Me a Story Stella, a children’s picture book by Quebec author Marie-Louise Gay, has been added to a list of books subject to removal from the children’s section of the Huntsville County Public Library -Madison due to “sexually explicit” content.
But the book, about two siblings reading together and building a dog house, should not have been on the list and was only added because of the keyword “gay,” Cindy said Hewitt, executive director of the library at AL.com, Sunday.
The book was one of 233 books scheduled to be revised and potentially moved.
“We wanted to be proactive and allow our library staff to review our collection and make decisions about transferring materials to an older group, without someone from the outside telling us what to do,” said Ms. Hewitt.
That process was halted following public backlash, the outlet reported.
Kirsten Brassard, Ms. Gay’s publicist at Groundwood Books, said the episode sends a “hateful message” coming from a public library.
“This proves, as always, that censorship is never about limiting access to this or that book. It’s about sending the message to children that certain ideas – or even certain people – are not worth discussing, recognizing or considering,” Brassard said.
