By Avi Silberstein
In 1990, a children’s book was published titled Daddy’s Roommate. It was one of the first children’s books to venture into LGBTQ territory.
“My Mommy and Daddy got a divorce last year. Daddy and his roommate Frank live together. When weekends come, we do all sorts of things together.”
They visit the zoo, go to a ball game, etc. Daddy and Frank share the housework, fight and make up, and watch television.
In 1991, Daddy’s Roommate won the Lambda Literary Award. But as you can probably imagine, there were many who objected to the presence of this book on library shelves. It quickly became the second most challenged book of the decade. (The first was, of course, Harry Potter, despite only being published in 1997!).
Fifteen years after its publication, in 2005, a library patron saw Daddy’s Roommate on display at the Lethbridge Public Library, and requested that it be removed from the collection, complaining that the book was “not a proper role model for children.”
So why are we talking about this right now? This week is Freedom to Read Week — an annual event that encourages Canadians to support intellectual freedom (the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely).
It’s that time of year when libraries across the country celebrate people’s right to read whatever they want to read. As the saying goes: “A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”
People have been trying to keep “objectionable” books out of libraries since way back in 212 B.C., when the Chinese emperor Shih Huang Ti burned all the books in his kingdom. Why on earth would he do such a thing, you might ask? Well, he figured if he destroyed all previous historical records, history could be said to begin with him.
Having said all this, not all objections are necessarily unmerited or unwanted. At our library, we’ve received many of them — most of which have been thoughtful and articulate. Our community members have objected to the way certain books represent Indigenous people, or depict violent images, or perpetuate stereotypes. Most commonly, the items challenged are children’s books.
We have a simple process by which we consider these challenges. And at any point, the complainant can appeal our decision to the library board — who, as the community representatives, are perfectly positioned to take that on.
And as for that library patron who wanted Daddy’s Roommate removed from the Lethbridge Public Library shelves? Turns out they’d picked it off a display to celebrate Freedom to Read Week.
The book didn’t go anywhere.
Because we all have the right to read whatever our hearts desire. And this week, we celebrate everything libraries do to fight for that right.
Avi Silberstein is the children’s librarian at the Nelson Public Library. Check This Out runs every other week. For more information on all things Nelson library go to nelsonlibrary.ca.