In the latest chapter of right-wing bigotry and fear mongering entering the realm of libraries, we have a tale from St. Joseph, Missouri. What better way to honor Pride Month, than to block a gay man—and well-respected pastor, no less—from serving his community on his local library board? Pastor Brian Kirk, who has served on the St. Joseph library board since 2019, was slated to be reappointed for another four-year term, normally a pro forma action by the St. Joseph City Council. Enter Josh Blevins, pastor of Grace Calvary in the city, spouting the usual tropes about drag queen story hour and the promotion of an LGBTQIA+ agenda. Never mind that he was unable to cite any instances of Kirk using his position for such an agenda as a board member. Never mind that the board members mainly just serve a fiduciary function, handling finances and not determining what specific books are ordered or promoted. Never mind that libraries bereft of LGBTQIA+ material would make for a pretty incomplete and crappy library. Never mind that it is 2023 and not 19-freaking-23.
Nevertheless, following Blevin’s letter to the council (see below)—and his threat of a protest from his congregation at the city council meeting originally scheduled to include the reappointment—the City Council and mayor indicated to the library director that Kirk would not be reappointed. Never mind that the library director called his service “exemplary.” Never mind that the city council created a Human Rights Commission with the goal to “encourage fair treatment for all” in businesses and organizations throughout the community and that the city council ironically now has the dubious honor of being called out by the very commission it created.
When faced with potential backlash, the city punted, removing the reappointment from its agenda Monday, June 26. That didn’t stop hundreds of protestors—many of them on the side of the gay pastor—from showing up outside City Hall and in the chambers, where many of them spoke in favor of Kirk. Kirk, for his part, is more concerned about the bigger picture than his individual case of discrimination, as he noted in the St. Joseph News-Press article by Alex Simone:
“I’ve just become a, sort of, object or a political football here to be tossed around, unfortunately,” said Kirk, who also is pastor of First Christian Church. “I think the greater issue here is, are we going to enshrine discrimination into the way that we choose the leadership of our commissions and boards, and our city?”
Indeed.
I’m adding in the letter from Blevins to the City Council below. It’s a piece of work, with the most hilarious but sad part being Blevins’ total lack of self-awareness. He writes that “the public library should remain a neutral space that respects diverse perspectives and encourages open dialogue,” while at the same time taking a very biased stance, trying to silence a diverse perspective and open dialogue. He lobbies for “intellectual freedom,” oblivious to the fact he is shutting down intellectual freedom. He argues for “neutrality,” ignorant that pushing his own view of Christianity on the makeup of the board is the opposite of neutrality.
EDIT: Here is a link to a petition in support of Kirk: secure.everyaction.com/…