I wrote a while back on the anti-gay censorship of a Pride Month display in the Gloucester County, Virginia public library apparently initiated by County Supervisor Gregory Woodard (pictured at far left in the photo) — a fundamentalist pastor when not on the Board of Supervisors. I also wrote about the Gloucester situation in a large piece I wrote for the print issue of VEER magazine, a local fashion and arts focused publication, under a column headlined as "Teaching Tolerance: Learning Gays’ Role in History Could Reduce Anti-Gay Bullying." I suspect that Rev. Woodard probably wasn't too well please if he saw the column, but the statements challenging his bigotry and misuse of his elected position to inflict his personal religious views on all county residents needed to be made. Fortunately, LGBT residents of Gloucester DO have allies and Jody Perkins, who resigned her position on the Library Board of Trustees in protest over the anti-gay bigotry spearheaded by Rev. Woodard has a wonderful letter to the editor calling for action to keep the matter from being "swept under the rug." Here are some highlights from Ms. Perkins' letter in the Gloucester-Matthews Gazette Journal:am assuming that there are many people in Gloucester County who are curious about the contents of the Gay Pride display in the Gloucester Library that the library director removed after receiving complaints. I have recently discovered the details of the display after an article was published in Veer magazine’s Aug. 15 issue, "Teaching Tolerance: Learning Gays’ Role in History Could Reduce Anti-Gay Bullying"; to quote:
"The anti-gay mindset of CRI is not limited to California as was recently revealed in Gloucester County, Virginia in an incident that arose out of a "Pride Month" display in the Gloucester Public Library. As reported by the Daily Press, as a result of the display, an anti-gay witch hunt was touched off and spearheaded by County Supervisor Gregory Woodard—a fundamentalist pastor when not on the Board of Supervisors—who objected to the library promoting homosexual and gay rights …
The Gay Pride display at our library should never have been prematurely removed. However, when asked why this happened, the chair of the Library Board of Trustees was quoted as saying that the director "has the authority to install and take down exhibits." This does not answer the question of why Director Diane Rebertus acted as she did and why procedure about complaints was not handled as it has been for years in our library. They have circled the wagons to defend the director’s knee-jerk reaction when she received a call in the late afternoon of June 20, hurriedly left her office for the public area and was seen to reappear in the back room with an armload of books, CDs, DVDs, etc. She caved to someone, but no one has admitted making the call.
County Administrator Brenda Garton has said that she did not make the call but will not say anything further to clear up this conundrum. So, a problem ignored and swept under the rug will eventually be forgotten.
But, one more point. When I resigned from the Gloucester Library Board of Trustees on July 15, the revised Library Policy Manual to be submitted to the state library by Aug. 1 had been amended and approved by the board chair to include specific information so that displays, whether put on by the library or by the public, be handled in the same way as general materials complaints. These requirements were subsequently removed after July 15 so that the approved Policy Manual may in the future be interpreted in any way that the director wishes regarding complaints.
One would like to feel that our public library is going forward as I know it did under the past directors, but under the present leadership and watered-down policy, I am fearful that this is not the case, as everyone in control is in denial and the library director will not take responsibility for the mistake she made by removing the Gay Pride display.
Kudos to Ms. Perkins. It is individuals like her who will move Gloucester forward from backwater status and make sure that ALL citizens receive recognition and respect - not just those who conform to the beliefs of certain Bible beaters who could use a major lesson in accurate history. Rev. Woodard's church "accepts the Bible as the Word of God." I'd love to know if it's the King James Bible. I'd also love to know how he's responding to scientific knowledge that says that Adam and Eve never existed!
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