Missed It: Fun Home, Blankets Targets of Marshall, Missouri Library Protest

The Marshall (MO) Public Library Board of Trustees held a public hearing on October 4 in order to hear arguments for and against the removal of graphic novel material from library shelves. This was after a complaint by local resident Louise Mills that Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Craig Thompson's Blankets be stricken from the library because of inappropriate content regarding depictions of sexuality. The library has taken the position that to remove the books would put the library on the slippery road to censorship and open up their offerings to inspection from every single person who might see inappropriate material in a wide variety of material in a way that does not let the library fulfill their mission.

The board, which consists of people nominated by the mayor, okayed by city council and serving various portions of three-year terms, will reportedly make a decision at their next meeting on October 11.

Here's a local newspaper article about the meeting before it happened, and another article from the same source about the meeting after it happened. Ron Hogan comments before and after the meeting; the "before" entry places it in context of other book bannings. Here's additional coverage from Blog@Newsarama, Leila Roy, Edward Champion's Return of the Reluctant, Illustrated Fiction, Critical Mass, Bitch PhD, and The Beat.

Here is the related entry on Alison Bechdel's blog, where some of the responses are pointing out the proud tradition of potentially being on a banned book list.

panel from Blankets
 
posted 12:21 am PST | Permalink
 

---

 
Daily Blog Archives
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
 
Full Archives