Pride, Black History Month book displays among those no longer allowed at Lafayette public libraries

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May 31, 2022

By Claire Taylor, The Acadiana Advocate

Library Director Danny Gillane during a Library Board of Control meeting (Brad Kemp/The Acadiana Advocate)

Book displays highlighting controversial topics or specific segments of the population such as Pride Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Native American history and Cajun heritage are no longer allowed at Lafayette Parish public libraries.

Pride Month, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, begins June 1. Library Director Danny Gillane said Tuesday he had to start somewhere with the new policy which will be in place “for the foreseeable future.”

“This is viewpoint discrimination,” Matthew Humphrey, president of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Lafayette, said. “Denying representation to any minority community at the public library will not go unanswered. We are not afraid to sue.”

Gillane’s explanation is that he’s trying to protect the library and the library’s collection of books and films.

“I’m doing this because everything’s a fight,” he said. “And if I put these books out right now, I feel like I am inviting people to challenge these books.”

Read more about the events that lead to this decision.

Banning books is one way to whitewash America and deny its true stories and history. The ABHM book club, one Michigan bookstore, and a nonprofit are among the organizations dedicated for Black representation in books, however.

Meanwhile, you can follow our breaking news page to read more stories related to Black Americana.

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