ImagineIF Trustees Move One Step Closer to Book Censorship

On Thursday, May 26, Library staff and Flathead Valley community members were blindsided by several motions to change library policies that were not on the agenda published ahead of the meeting. You can read more about the meeting here.

The most significant motion was made to change the selection criteria policy, which passed 3-2, and was made by trustee David Ingram. The motion added the phrase, ”avoidance of any visual depiction of sexual conduct with minors,” which was done against the advice of library staff and one of the other library trustees. During the meeting, Ingram spent several minutes mischaracterizing the content of the memoir Gender Queer, which is a graphic novel. It is clear that Ingram and other trustees are trying to pave the way to remove Gender Queer from the library collection, even though that is an act of censorship.
Emails obtained by the Flathead Beacon revealed on September 27, 2021, well before a book challenge was filed, show that Ingram expressed concern about the books Gender Queer and Lawn Boy to two other trustees and Flathead County Commissioner Randy Brodehl. This assessment was not based on any local complaints about those books, but a video amplified by national anti-LGBTQ organizations to incite book challenges.

Love Lives Here’s main concerns about this situation are the obvious lack of transparency about what was going to be discussed on Thursday’s meeting and the attempt to misrepresent the content of Gender Queer. We know that operatives are trying to force partisan perspectives onto non-partisan community spaces like health departments, public lands, and public schools.  

Action Items

1. Please email the library trustees, the county commissioners, the county attorney, and the county administrator (contact information below)

TALKING POINTS (please rephrase in your own words) 

  • Tell the county commissioners that the trustees they appointed – David Ingram, Doug Adams, and Heidi Roedel - have wasted a lot of time and resources, and you reject their attempt to censor books.  

  • Adults have the right to select materials for themselves and their children without interference from local trustees following national partisan organizations. 

  • Ingram’s misrepresentation of Gender Queer’s contents is irresponsible and dishonest.  

  • Trustees should have more respect for the experience and education of library staff in selecting books in accordance with patrons’ First Amendment rights.  

 2. Selection of a new library trustee to replace Connie Leistiko is in the works because her term is ending. Please review the applicants here (look for the list of names) and offer your recommendations to the trustees.  

If you don’t have time to review the applications, no problem! Please send the trustees an email that says you want them to select a candidate with board experience who also believes in the freedom to access materials as guaranteed by the First Amendment.  

Contact information

County commissioners/administrators

Library

  • Email that will reach all library trustees - librarytrustees@imagineiflibraries.org

  • Pro-censorship library trustees are Heidi Roedel (chair), Doug Adams, and David Ingram.

  • Experienced trustees are Connie Leistiko and Marsha Sultz

Questions? Please email info@loveliveshereflathead.org.

Cherilyn DeVries