Residents raise almost $100,000 for Michigan library defunded over LGBTQ books

Source: NBC News

Residents raise almost $100,000 for Michigan library defunded over LGBTQ books

Aug. 11, 2022, 10:47 AM EDT
By Jay Valle

Residents of a small town in western Michigan helped raise almost $100,000 for their local library after it was defunded over the inclusion of LGBTQ books.

Primary voters in Jamestown Township, a community 20 miles east of Lake Michigan, rejected a proposal last week to renew tax funds to support the Patmos Library in nearby Hudsonville that serves Jamestown and the surrounding area. The rejection, which passed with nearly two-thirds voter approval, eliminates 84% of the public library’s annual budget, or $245,000.

The library has been in the crosshairs of some conservative residents since last November, when a small group of parents raised concerns over the availability of LGBTQ-related, local NBC affiliate WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan reported. While the library reportedly agreed to place a few of the flagged titles behind the circulation desk, it was not enough to persuade the voters to continue to fund the library.

Larry Walton, the library’s board president, told local news site Bridge Michigan that he was not expecting the loss of funds and that the library would likely run out of money late next year without those tax dollars.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/residents-raise-almost-100000-michigan-library-defunded-lgbtq-books-rcna42035