Written by Thomas Madison

On August 28th, the West Chicago Public Library Board voted 6-1 to retain the homosexuality-celebrating picture book This Day in June. IFI thanks you for your support in emailing the library director Benjamin Weseloh to share your concerns about this book.

There were roughly 80-100 people in attendance, and 90 percent of them were pro-LGBT supporters of the book. Unfortunately, this is usually the case when book controversies arise. Those who seek to normalize disordered sexuality are far more passionate, tenacious, and bold than are those who oppose the normalization of sexual deviance. The Left seems to care far more about promoting lies to young children than conservatives do in protecting them from lies.

Those community members who had the wisdom and courage to oppose this troubling picture book needed much more verbal support at the meeting. IFI is disappointed in the absence of local community support for those brave men and women. We know significant opposition to this book exists because of the hundreds of messages that were sent to the director, but emails alone are insufficient if real change is to occur. Sometimes people are unable to make meetings, but often emailing concerns represents indefensible cowardice or surrender.

The supporters of the book came out strongly against IFI, explicitly attacking us and making numerous spurious statements. The most obviously false statement was that IFI is a hate group. IFI’s positions on homosexuality no more constitute hatred of persons who believe differently than does disapproval of polyamory or polygamy constitute hatred of polyamorists or polygamists. Leftists are either unable to understand this distinction or unwilling to admit it because they know that fallacious ad hominem attacks work.

The most startling remarks made in support of the book were that the content was not sexual. This is a complete denial of reality and a reminder that people will pervert the truth to suit their own lifestyles. The book is specifically intended toward “helping” children recognize and accept the diversity of sexual preferences. It features men kissing men and women kissing women. Since when is romantic kissing or even simply kissing romantic partners not a sexual act?

Some of the board members noted the importance of the library representing the diverse views found in its community. The speciousness of this claim is revealed in the absence of books on a host of topics. This absence is due—at least in part—to librarians imposing their moral views through the purchasing process. When they impose their views, it’s called responsible text selection. When conservatives want purchases to reflect their views, leftists call it censorship and book-banning.

We were disappointed not only in learning how the board members voted but also in learning that regardless of their votes, the book would have stayed on the shelf. According to the parliamentarian, the policy of the board is to let the library staff decide for themselves the quality of material, so last night’s vote was a non-binding vote. The board’s policy is reflective of the American Library Association (ALA), the far-leftist organization that wanted children’s computers to have access to pornography) and which actively promotes homosexuality and the “trans” ideology. Should unelected library staff whose training comes through the highly politicized and leftist field of library science be granted such near-absolute autonomy?

Ultimately, if community members want to see this inappropriate book moved to a restricted area—as it is in other local libraries like Downers Grove—or removed altogether, they will either have to convince the staff to move or remove the book, or West Chicagoans must elect better board members to change board policy.

West Chicago Public Library employee Joan Happel posted this celebratory announcement on Facebook, “The library director’s decision is to keep the book where it is! That decision was never in question.” Happel evidently finds nothing problematic about a picture book for young children whose author said this:

When I wrote this story, I wanted Pride to be featured as realistically as possible. I wanted to see drag queens, guys in leather, rainbows, political signs, the Dykes on Bikes—everything you would see at Pride. I didn’t want any of it to be watered-down or sugarcoated. Lots of people have asked me, “Do you think that’s appropriate for children?” And my answer always is—YES.

Unfortunately, numerous libraries throughout the country and in Illinois are using public monies to promote the normalization of homosexuality and the “trans” ideology. The battle against dissenting views—including Judeo-Christian views—continues. Those relatively few brave souls who step up to oppose deception—especially deception that harms children—need many others to come alongside them. IFI wonders how many area pastors showed up to make statements about this book.

Here is a breakdown of how the West Chicago Library Board voted and their respective term expiration years.

Voted in Support of the Book:

Nancy Conradt – President, term expires – 2019

Frank Fokta – Vice President, term expires – 2019

Richard Bloom – Treasurer, term expires – 2021

Rosario Herbst, term expires – 2019

Diane Kelsey, term expires – 2021

Patricia A. Weninger, term expires – 2019

Voted to Remove the Book:

David W. Reynolds, Sr., Term Expires – 2021

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-and, please-

Picture this: You’re at the library with your three-and-a-half-year-old daughter whose attention is grabbed by a colorfully illustrated children’s book. She takes it off the shelf and asks you what the book is about.

You are happy to oblige until you see that this colorfully illustrated children’s book is about promoting many aspects of the LGBTQQAP (etc.) agenda.

This is what happened recently to Kurt and Michaela Jaros. Fortunately, Michaela was quick to utilize her mothering skills and answer her daughter’s question without providing a sex ed lesson on the spot.

The book the Jaros’ daughter pulled from the shelves of the West Chicago Public Library is titled This Day in June.  Here is the description from the book’s Amazon.com page:

In a wildly whimsical, validating, and exuberant reflection of the LGBT community, This Day in June welcomes readers to experience a pride celebration and share in a day when we are all united. Also included is a Reading Guide chock-full of facts about LGBT history and culture, as well as a Note to Parents and Caregivers with information on how to talk to children about sexual orientation and gender identity in age-appropriate ways. This Day in June is an excellent tool for teaching respect, acceptance, and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

Not to Kurt Jaros, who has taken up the issue with the West Chicago Library Board.

Jaros explains that since libraries work together through inter-library loans, if one library has it, it will be available to regional libraries as well. Therefore, one need not live in the West Chicago Library district make a statement at the meeting.

Jaros further noted that libraries often do not receive enough public comment on controversial issues. He has set up a website to rally support for the effort to have the book either removed from the shelves or be placed where children do not have access to it, as many libraries do.

Some argue that having this and similar books removed from library shelves is “censorship” or “book burning.” As with everything else, Leftists can’t quite grasp the fact that taxpayer have a say in how their tax dollars are spent.

Jaros explained that from cover to cover, This Day in June is filled with pro-LGBTQQAP (etc.) propaganda presented through symbols and messages. He prepared a flyer to provide examples from the book. (This disturbing book is written by Gayle E. Pitman and illustrated by Kristyna Litten.)

Library board member David Reynolds also spoke with IFI about the offensive nature of the book and the inappropriateness of allowing children to have unsupervised access to it. Libraries remove books from shelves all the time for various reasons, he said, but the effort to have this book removed is creating the equivalent of a “constitutional crisis.”

Controversial books should not be placed where children can easily step on cultural land minds, Reynolds said. Books like This Day in June should, at a minimum, be moved to a separate parent/teacher collection as is the policy at many libraries.

Just two days ago, Illinois Family Institute’s Laurie Higgins wrote “In a Heartbeat”: Propaganda for Children. Here is her opening paragraph:

Anyone who doubts that “LGBTQQAP” activists and their “allies” are pursuing the hearts and minds of other people’s children should watch this sweet, well-crafted, animated short film about an adorable, red-headed, closeted middle school boy whose secret crush on another boy is exposed when his anthropomorphized heart leaps from his chest and pursues the boy with whom the main character is besotted.

This Day in June too seeks to capture the imaginations of young children:

Filled with saturated colors and vivid illustrations, this picture book uses rhyming couplets to convey the fun and exuberate feelings assocated [sic] with a pride parade for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and families. For example, “Rainbow arches/Joyful marches/Motors roaring/Spirits soaring.” The cartoon artwork is richly detailed and capture the “Banners swaying/Children playing.”

Here is a paragraph from that Laurie Higgins’ article reworked to apply to This Day in June:

The book’s creators are making the implicit argument that the biological sex of humans is irrelevant to the morality of sexual activity. Leftists use the adolescent slogan “love is love” to distract the public from the central issue—which pertains not to love but to sex. The central issue concerns sexual morality and sexual boundaries. The Left seeks to skirt that issue by dangling vivid illustrations and rhyming couplets in front of vulnerable and manipulable children.

None of the “profoundly important questions about sexual morality matter,” Higgins writes, “in a culture where cartoons shape feelings—nothing more than feelings.”

IFI also spoke with a veteran of the public library systems who noted the Leftist slant from the local level on up to the Illinois Library Association (ILA) and the American Library Association (ALA). “Libraries do not need to carry these kinds of books,” she said, but often do because so often they are lobbying for one side of a political argument.

Even the ILA and the ALA seem to be less about promoting libraries than pushing political agendas, she said: “They need to be neutral like librarians are taught in library school and how they are trained in collection development.” Librarians are given a lot of control over the latter, she said, so the more liberal the librarians are, the more liberal the book collections will be.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or fax to the West Chicago Library Board of Trustees, urging them to reject policies that spend tax resources on politically controversial and deviant books targeted at young children.  You may want to point out that this is not an issue of free speech but rather of book selection policy.

More ACTION:  If you are a local resident, please try to attend this meeting, and try to arrive by 6:30 to sign in to make comments, which are limited to three minutes. You may want to type up your comment and read it so as to ensure you don’t exceed the three-minute limit.