The residents of Jamestown Township, Michigan have voted to defund a local library due to it carrying LGBTQ+-themed books.
It was reported in Bridge Michigan that the Jamestown residents voted on Tuesday to block the funds coming from property taxes (or millage) to keep the Patmos Library going. This is after a small group of residents have tried to have LGBTQ+-themed books removed from the library.
Some of the books that were complained about were Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Spinning by Tillie Walden, and Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable.
The library will use its reserve fund until the first quarter of 2023. It’s not only books that the library is used for – many locals use the library for Wi-Fi access and the room where the vote to defund it was held is within the library.
However, the board has voted to add the funding issue to the November ballot, which will give the library a chance to regain its budget. At the same time, there have been private attempts to crowdfund the library via two separate GoFundMe fundraisers – combining for about $95,000. One fundraiser is being run by Jesse Dillman and Larry Walton, while the other is run by Michelle Barrows.