Despite the bad press that public libraries have been getting lately (think of the items to about the vaccine passport and, even more recently, to those who reported the cancellation of activities in Barbada), it is essential to repeat that our institutions are carried by caring, welcoming and open staff. This openness to diversity concerns all gender orientations, identities and expressions, which we very often embody ourselves.
Great defenders of free speech and valiant fighters of cancel culture (cancel culture) are very quiet this week. They do not speak out against the censorship imposed on Barbadian art, and we in the library must remain silent and silent because of political issues that are higher than ours and against which we cannot speak out.
You can’t hear us, but we’re here.
Without having access to the arguments justifying the refusal to receive Barbada in their libraries, we suspect that the elected officials of Saint-Laurent made their decision by inferring a certain homophobia, even a transphobia to their voters. What happened in Dorval is very real, but complying with it does not contribute to advancing society, quite the contrary. In addition, the public has had hours of the story read to it by unicorns, the Easter bunny and Santa Claus since they were very young: they have seen others, and they generally easily conceive the existence of one more character, or one more “creature”, to quote the mythical Rita Baga.
The public is thirsty for people who take responsibility. He has never shied away from the pink hair of librarians because he understands that being surrounded by information necessarily pushes us to step out of conservative frameworks and explore the universe of possibilities. Yet there was a time when this simple example would have created controversy. Our values change quickly and our prejudices disappear.
This is what the role of librarian really consists of: a vocation for the advancement of society through education and accessibility to information. This must seem ironic to those who believe we cling to dusty old records.
The inclusive mission of public libraries is central to our identity, however, and it is broader than the simple idea of maintaining diverse collections. It would be completely inconsistent, both in terms of morality and in terms of resources, to keep documents on the art of drag while wishing them to stay on their shelf.