Community reacts to removal of LGBTQ Pride displays with support, appreciation of inclusivity at home libraries

Update, June 23, 10pm: The Smithtown Library board of trustees this evening restored Pride Month displays in its children's reading rooms. The 4-2 vote at the emergency meeting reversed the June 21 decision to remove the displays.

An outpouring of local library support across social media and directly to staff occurred in Northport-East Northport the same day it was announced that, following a board of trustees vote, all Pride Month displays would be removed from the children’s rooms in the neighboring Smithtown libraries.

Smithtown Library trustee Marie Gergenti proposed at a meeting this past Tuesday to remove Pride Month displays from the children’s rooms of the library system’s four branches. Gergenti was joined by three fellow trustees who approved the proposal, leading to a reported 4-2 vote in favor of removing the displays.

A memo written by the Smithtown Library director instructing the heads of the Smithtown buildings to remove the children’s room displays quickly circulated on social media, drawing comments of concern, sadness and outrage from residents in Northport and East Northport.

Many people chose to show gratitude for their own home libraries as well, sending emails and making phone calls to Northport-East Northport Public Library (NENPL) officials, and commending the director and staff for their Pride displays throughout all of the libraries’ rooms.

“Libraries are for everyone,” read a popular image in local social media groups, the words written in a rainbow-colored heart. Residents praised the Northport-East Northport libraries for embracing inclusion not just during Pride Month, but throughout the year, for being open and accepting of all patrons, and for supporting and providing educational opportunities and a safe space for everyone from children to adults.

In one of his many emailed responses to those community members who reached out in support of the library, NENPL director James Olney thanked residents for their kind words, saying that the library valued “the opportunity to provide library services to everyone in our community.”

According to reports, 29 books and all Pride displays were removed from the children’s rooms in Smithtown’s four branches; the books are still housed in the buildings’ collections.

An emergency special meeting of the board of trustees of the Smithtown Library was announced shortly before this article was published. At the meeting, to be held today, June 23, at 6:30pm, the trustees will deliberate and take action on the following item, as listed on the agenda:

RESOLVED, that the resolution adopted by the Board of Trustees at its June 21, 2022 meeting directing the removal of the Pride displays from the Children's sections of all Smithtown Library buildings be rescinded and that the subject displays as constituted on June 21, 2022 be re- established through the date of July 15, to be removed afterwards at the supervisory Librarian's discretion.

You can join the Zoom here (meeting ID: 631 360 2480, passcode: SmithLib).