A young woman who opposes the Columbia County Library Board’s recent reshelving guidelines took to the podium at an advisory board meeting on April 15 where she read pages from her childhood diary to reinforce her stance.
Katherine Cook is a local 15-year-old who identifies as LGBTQ, regularly attends these meetings and has consistently spoken out about the guidelines.
Cook’s presentation to the advisory board was one among 10 delivered on Tuesday by speakers both equally opposed to the guidelines or who wanted to express gratitude to the board for putting them in place.
LGBTQ books and young audiences
While violence and content of a sexual nature are both topics of concern among those in favor of the guidelines, a number of titles including LGBTQ characters and themes have been challenged for reshelving since the guidelines were implemented
“I am becoming increasingly concerned about materials that are being presented, in particular to my three year old, in the picture book section,” said Rachel Hill, a mother of three who frequents the library. “And this happens in both sneaky and bold ways.”
Hill went on to say that she’s discovered multiple books on the children’s shelves with subject matter “related to the celebration of same sex partnerships.” She said the same about books with themes of transgender positivity.
Defending that LGBTQ books create acceptance rather than causing harm is where Cook’s focus lies.
‘I wish I had somebody to talk to’
Cook, addressing the board, advocated that LGBTQ teens who don’t feel supported – including at their public library – are more likely to harm themselves or commit suicide, reading from pages of her journal from a time before she came out as a lesbian.
Fragments of passages from her diary, written when she was in third grade, included phrases like: “I don’t think I even have a purpose to live,” “I wish I had somebody to talk to,” “I wish somebody would love me,” “It’s weird to think I like girls” and “God, just let me die already.”
She said that the acceptance of her mother made a significant difference in her outlook.
“Just one person, just my mom, loving me like she should, saved me,” she said.
Cook told the Augusta Press that she made the bold move to share her personal writing because she wants to “make sure no one else has to go through that.”
“It’s a kid’s safety being threatened by not being loved,” she said. “And there are a lot of places here where they are just not loved.”
Her presentation was supplemented with the stories of five LGBTQ youths who ended their own lives; Cook wrote about each of them and gave their stories in envelopes to each advisory board member.
“I spent the weekend handwriting letters to the board about each kid that I listed off and each of their stories,” Cook said. “These people’s families don’t have a kid. That kid does not get to get married. He does not get to speak at the board meetings. He does not get to have a voice. He doesn’t get to talk to a reporter. He doesn’t get to have any say or ever feel accepted now.”
The individuals whose stories were shared included 11-year-old Jaheem Herrera, 12-year-old Riley Hadley, 13-year-old Asher Brown, 14-year-old Nova Dunn and 12-year-old Eli Fritchley.
