Via Professor Ken Sherrill, head of the Poli Sci dept. at Hunter in NYC, comes this e-mail. This article seems to confirm many aspects of the e-mail.
Any information from dKos members would be appreciated. (E.g., Anyone in Chi-town seeing this story on the nightly news?)
Friends,
Some time around or just after 12:30 p.m. [on June 13, 2006–original post stating June 14 was in error] person or persons unknown started a fire in the Gay and Lesbian (GLBT) book collection of the John Merlo branch of the Chicago Public Library at 644 W. Belmont.
The fire destroyed about 100 gay books, mostly fiction, and damaged others, some of which appear to be the only ones in the entire Chicago Public Library system. The gay specialist reference librarian who curates the collection is currently taking an inventory of what is no longer usable.
Police and fire departments have been brought in as well as senior library personnel. At this point, I do not have any more information.
I hardly need to point out the implications (and tradition) of book burning, of attacks on gays and gay symbols, and that the Merlo branch library goes out of its way to be gay friendly. It is Gay Pride month, less than two weeks until the Gay Pride parade.
Some readers may recall a Chicago Free Press article and commentary column about the gay collection last March.
Paul Varnell
Chicago
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*UPDATE:* I’ve changed the title from “Possible” to “Probable” in light of that fact that the Tribune is calling it the work of "vandals."
Zealots also burned the library of Alexandria.
Empire: darkness falls,
Freedom dies like autumn leaves,
Burning books all aglow.
644 W. Belmont — that’s on the south end of Boystown, where a lot of the gay bars and other gay-friendly shops and hangouts are. That WOULD be the place to have the largest GLBT book collection.
And this is what results when anti-gay diatribes are treated with respect because of their religious base (as though anything promoted by religious leaders can’t be out and out WRONG or ILLEGAL, because it’s a “matter of personal faith”). When the President and certain members of the Senate believe it necessary to even consider amending the Constitution to forbid any state from ever making gay unions on the same level as “real marriage” — with equal rights and legal protections. When leaders tip-toe around bigoted fanatics in the name of “freedom of speech” and don’t enforce laws against hate crimes like this one… on the theory that sincere religious beliefs cannot be challenged or questioned, because that would be a violation of that person’s civil rights… but it’s okay to harrass, attack, beat up or violate the civil rights of gay people because of those beliefs.
When the government values “religious freedom” over the right to be left alone to live in peace… hate crimes happen. It encourages mob-think; by offering public support to the validity of such beliefs, it encourages people to act upon them, even if such actions are against the law.
Let’s hope Chicago police can find out who did this, and DO something… or the next incident may well involve hurting people rather than just books.