Showing posts with label Gay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gay. Show all posts

Monday, December 11, 2017

Homophobia at American Library Association Again

Homophobia rears again at the American Library Association [ALA].  When one fakes claims of homophobia so as to promote oneself, that results in increased real discrimination against the LGBT community, real gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, really being harmed.  And ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom [OIF] is at it again, implying the crux of whistleblower action against a West Bend, WI, library was 80 LGBT books:


Valerie Nye: You experienced a challenge eight years ago, to a large number of books when you were working at the public library. Can you describe the challenge?

Kristin Pekoll:
It was a six-month challenge that shoved me hard into the spotlight. The parent wanted over 80 LGBT books removed from the library. 
The truth is that claim about the 80 LGBT books was withdrawn, thus it was not the crux of the matter.  But ALA OIF is at it again with the false or misleading claims of discrimination, and resultant harm, against the LGBT community.

So I commented as follows, and the comment is currently "awaiting moderation":
"The parent wanted over 80 LGBT books removed from the library."  That is highly misleading and harms the LGBT community since fake claims of LGBT discrimination results in actual increased discrimination.  The complaint about the LGBT books was withdrawn because the claimant realized the request was inappropriate. So OIF saying that was the main issue means OIF is simply faking more discrimination against the LGBT community.  It follows a pattern of OIF faking claims about LGBT discrimination so as to raise its own profile for its own reasons.  I even recorded an author admitting ALA OIF fakes its annual lists, in this case 2010, to place LGBT books on the list of "banned books" even though other books had been challenged more often.  Indeed, after I exposed this, LGBT books fell off the annual hoax list for two years.  But the fakery started again and is continuing to this day with the resultant harm to the LGBT community.

"Organizations like this use superiority and self-righteousness to knock others down. Their goal is to convince librarians and teachers and parents and readers that there is something shameful in reading and learning about ideas that they consider wrong."  I did not do that (and we all know you are talking about SafeLibraries).  Point to a single instance where I did that, in West Bend or anywhere.  Reading is not the issue.  Writing is not the issue.  The issue is ALA OIF misleading communities to promote its own interests.  Faking claims about LGBT discrimination is just one of many examples of ALA faking claims to mislead communities, and people are being harmed as a result, especially in the LGBT community.  ALA even lost a major case in the US Supreme Court in 2003 but misleads people about the results of that case to this very day.

"My colleague, Deborah Caldwell Stone, has a great quote in her office that I have great fondness for: 'Dance like no one is watching. Email like it may one day be read aloud in a deposition.'"  This very same person used her personal email to order librarians to destroy evidence ALA OIF gave training featuring a trainer who asked why a women would let small children around a gay man, precisely to avoid FOIA disclosures.  ALA rehired that trainer who dropped out after being exposed--if I recall Deborah Caldwell Stone did the rehiring.  More homophobia at ALA.  It's like a group thing at ALA OIF.

So I'm saddened to see OIF continuing with the same false information that uses the LGBT community to give itself a bump. If ALA OIF were a private company, your group homophobia would have result[ed] in the lot of you being fired long ago.
There's so much more I could say about how ALA OIF's homophobia makes me angry because of the harm it likely causes.  But I might get sued again with another settlement offer that I delete this current reporting, like when I wrote Gay Hate @ Your Library.  It's still up, go read what ALA wanted censored, and it's staying up.


Librarians, this homophobia is never going to stop so long as ALA OIF continues on unabated, without even a single challenge, without even a single peep.

By the way,



URL of this page: 
safelibraries.blogspot.com/2017/12/homophobia-at-ALA-OIF.html

On Twitter:
@ALALibrary @jaslar @KPekoll @OIF

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

On Removing Books About Homosexuality and Same Sex Marriage

A lot of what I do regarding libraries is behind the scenes.  For example, a women asked me for assistance in having a book about homosexuality and same sex marriage removed from a public library.  I advised her she will most likely be unsuccessful and specified why.  She said she would drop the challenge.  I have no doubt that I averted that book challenge.  I do this frequently enough to have put a dent in American Library Association's annual tally of challenged books!

Here's our conversation, edited to remove personally identifiable details:

Dear Mr. Kleinman,

I recently brought home from our library in ***, **, a cute looking picture book for my 5 year old called, "***" by *** ***.  When I read it however I saw that it talks about different types of families including those with 2 dads and 2 moms.  Thankfully, I saw this before my children read it and I will not show it to them.  My question is, "What do I do with it now?"  I object morally to children seeing this book.  I know it would be wrong to "lose" it or deface it.  Besides, my library location alone had about *** copies!  I have considered including a piece of paper in it that says something like, "Every child has a mother and a father."  Would that be legal or illegal?  Is there something more effective I can do to remove this book and others like it.  Incidentally, gay marriage is now legal in **, thanks to Federal court ruling, so I don't think the library will care if I object to it.

I have already contacted *** and *** and they said they could not advise me.

Thank you,

*** ***



Dear Mrs. ***,

Thank you for contacting SafeLibraries!  I’ll be happy to advise you in this matter.

First, there’s a difference between public and school libraries.  Based on my understanding of what I read, the library involved is a public library.  Know that getting books removed from public libraries is a whole lot harder than getting them removed from school libraries.  In my fifteen years of doing what I do, I have helped get books removed from school libraries, but never from public libraries.

The issue of homosexuality is separate and apart from the issue of library book selection policies.  Libraries do have book selection policies that must be followed and that can be used to have books removed, but I know of no book selection policies that exclude the issue of homosexuality per se.  Yes, many books dealing with the issue of homosexuality also contain material that is pervasively vulgar.  On the issue of vulgarity, books can successfully be removed from schools under the 1982 US Supreme Court of Board of Education v. Pico.  But not on the issue of homosexuality.  I have not read the book in question, but if it deals with homosexuality and is not pervasively vulgar, the book likely does not violate any library's book selection policy.  If it does not violate the library's policy, the library will not remove it.

You are correct not to deface the book or disappear it.  Others have tried that and it usually results in very negative consequences.  I have written about a few of such cases.

As to putting notes in the book, it will make you feel better but it will have no effect and will not stop people reading the book.  Yet it runs the risk of being traced back to you, again resulting in negative consequences.

You asked if there is an effective means to remove such books from the library.  The answer is it depends, but it is extremely unlikely.  In my opinion, only if you live in an area where the majority of people—including the majority of the library board—oppose homosexuality will you have any possibility of removing a book about homosexuality discussed in a non-vulgar manner.

If that book is non-vulgar, and given what you said about your state's law on gay marriage, it is my opinion that 1) the book will never be removed from the library, and 2) if you attempt to have the book removed or take any action in any other way, the library will make hay out of that, mock and vilify you, and use it as a reason to fund raise and make more of such books available at the library.  The end result is you'll be bullied terribly by the library and more people will read more material of the kind you oppose.

The library would be wrong to bully, but that's the technique libraries are trained to use by the American Library Association, that's what they all do, so I'm fairly certain that's what will happen to you.

In such a case as you have described as I understand it, my opinion would be to do nothing.

You have had the good fortune to reach out for help before acting.  Usually people act, get in trouble, then reach out for help.  By then it is too late to help if one of the planks of their complaint was moral opposition to homosexuality.  Even if they follow advice to drop such opposition as being not supported by the law, the library continues to use that initial complaint as a means for ridicule.

While I realize I may be providing advice that does not thrill you, I believe it to be accurate advice based on years of experience with these very same issues in a variety of settings.  So consider what I have said and act as you see fit.  If you do decide to go ahead by, say, filing a materials reconsideration request, I'll help guide you, but I'll continue to be frank about the absence of any likely chance for success.

On a side note, I like your email and I like my response.  I would like to remove all personally identifying material, including even the state, and publish both the email and my response on SafeLibraries to help more people similarly situated.  May I have your permission to do that?  Remember, I’ll leave out all personally identifying information, likely even the title/author of the book and the other organizations you contacted.

Again, thank you for contacting SafeLibraries.  Contact us any time you wish for any reason related to libraries.



Dear Mr. Kleinman,

Thank you for your prompt and thorough response!  You have been very helpful.  Yes, I give you permission to share this email exchange on SafeLibraries, provided my name and city are removed.

Sincerely,

*** ***


Sunday, August 24, 2014

Gay Slurs from Orland Park Public Library Trustee and Attorney Diane Jennings: Watch the Videos

OPPL's Diane Jennings: What is
she saying? Watch the videos.
Orland Park Public Library, Orland Park, IL, is a library that allows and covers up child pornography viewing.  One of its elected trustees is named Diane Jennings, Esq.  Ms. Jennings is one of the people using gay slurs to attack the whistleblowers of the library's criminality.  Amazingly, her gay slurs were captured on video tape as well as her public defense of them.  Please watch them both:

  1. Video of Diane Jennings using gay slurs against gay man who is one of the child porn whistleblowers
  2. Video of Diane Jennings defending her gay slurs.


Read the details written by one of her victims.  While you do, keep in mind she is an elected official and an attorney covering up her crime of not reporting child pornography in a public library for which she is a trustee:



URL of this page: safelibraries.blogspot.com/2014/08/gay-slurs.html

On Twitter: @ECWDogs @IntolerantFox @OrlandPkLibrary @VillageOrlandPk

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Gay Hate @ Your Library

gay hate @ your library®
There's gay hate @ your library, in this case the Orland Park Public Library in Orland Park, IL:
  • "Orland Park Library Officials Call People 'Fruit', 'Faggot' & 'Gay,'" by John Kraft, Illinois Leaks (Edgar County Watchdogs), 26 July 2014:
    After her attempted intimidation, outside the courthouse, against the person she had signed an ordinance violation against, I intervened and she continued towards her vehicle, but only after calling Kevin a "fruit".  Meanwhile Jennings returned and called me an a**hole at least 4 times while calling Kevin a faggot and stating she did not like gay people.  She admits to police that she said these things and this police report will be in an upcoming article.

Watch this elected library trustee Diane Jennings and library public relations employee Bridget Bittman attack a gay man who happened to have exposed the library for allowing and covering up child pornography:


And mainstream library media like Library Journal and the American Library Association's [ALA] own American Libraries are completely silent on this videotaped LGBT hate.  Why?  Child pornography in a library is a direct result of ALA policy to allow unfettered porn despite the law.  Indeed, ALA is the nation's leading facilitator of porn in public libraries nationwide.

ALA has in the past exposed the LGBT community to discrimination and even increased suicide by faking half a decade of gay hate so as to rile up the LGBT community to spread ALA's false message of book "banning." That stopped after I exposed ALA for doing this.  It is one of my favorite accomplishments, stopping ALA from harming the LGBT community.

But ALA has not learned.  The women shown in the video calling the gay man a "fruit" provided training for ALA to many librarians where she made homophobic remarks during her training about why a mom would let her children near a gay man.  Has ALA cut ties with this hater?  No.  She's been invited back for more ALA-sponsored training.

And of course she's still working at the library, a library that's such a joke that even Seth Meyers at Saturday Night Live with guest star Lady Gaga made fun of it:





Is there a reason people should get away with gay hate simply because they are supposedly innocent librarians or library supporters?  Is there a reason mainstream media should ignore the gay hate, even in the face of videotaped evidence?  Is "faggots" @ your library® an acceptable trademark?

Outside the library world, people like multiple Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill apologize for saying "faggot."  "'What I said in that moment was a disgusting and hurtful term,' Hill told [Howard] Stern. 'I shouldn't have said that.'"  Why are public library officials immune?  Why are library media not reporting this story (that's being going on for almost a year now)?

"faggots" @ your library®

Personal note:  It infuriates me no end that gay hate is allowed, condoned, and covered up, all to perpetuate the spread of child pornography in public libraries.  The gay haters at ALA remain authoritative in communities nationwide and continue to recommend making child porn available in public libraries despite the law.

Does being a library supporter bestow magical protection that allows gay hate?  97% of librarians have seen code of conduct violations at ALA conferences, including 23% of librarians reporting being sexually harassed, and "It's true, the majority of the people who were harassed did not report," so I suppose from those stats and from the what I've reported above that homophobia is acceptable within that community.  Is it acceptable in yours?

"@ your library®" is a federally registered trademark of the American Library Association.  Its nominative use on SafeLibraries is for criticism and analysis.  "gay hate @ your library®" and "'faggots' @ your library®" are not federally registered trademarks of ALA, but they should be because of what Orland Park Public Library officials say and the way ALA harms gays and other members of the LGBT community.

NOTE ADDED 28 JULY 2014:

And still no coverage from Library Journal and American Libraries.  That tells me they condone the gay hate.


NOTE ADDED 29 JULY 2014:

I cited statistics from a librarian named Ingrid Abrams who calls herself "The Magpie Librarian."  This women actually deletes and changes my comments that appear on her blog, then attacks me for the quotes as she's rewritten them; some people don't like the truth and distort it in different ways.  I say this so you can see she does not like free speech.  Now you can see she does not like me:
Such are the lengths a few librarians will go through to oppose those trying to stop the ALA from misleading communities about child porn in public libraries.  Sadly, OPPL/ALA is not alone in facilitating child porn in public libraries by attacking whistleblowers.


NOTE ADDED 17 AUGUST 2014:

This blog post has many comments I have removed.  They were not spam so I did not delete them.  Rather, they are comments either of a homophobic nature, including the name of a library child porn whistleblower, or are written purely for harassment.  Such comments violate the short note one sees when leaving comments, at a minimum, let alone common courtesy.

All the comments originate from Chicago, IL, home of the American Library Association, or surrounding communities, and all match the pattern of harassment I have seen before from Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Esq., at the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom in Chicago.  Certainly the homophobia in the comments matches the homophobia within ALA OIF where Deborah Caldwell-Stone is the Deputy Director and former Acting Director, right down to naming the very same person simply for being gay.  I have written about how ALA OIF harms the LGBT community in the past and will be writing on new evidence of hate within ALA's OIF.  The evidence includes that provided by whistleblower librarians who can't stand the hate either.  I am in the process of writing that now.

Ms. Caldwell-Stone, please stop.  It's especially embarrassing to other members of your profession.  Of course, now that I said that, you'll go right on doing it to prove it isn't you.  Smh.


NOTE ADDED 1 DECEMBER 2014:

This post of mine is now the basis of my being sued in federal court for defamation:

NOTE ADDED 2 DECEMBER 2015:

Over a year later I am still being sued for publishing this post exposing homophobia by ALA, even after a judge dismissed me out of the case for there being no there there.  See: "Bridget Bittman Handed Another Defeat in SLAPP Lawsuit."

Obviously it's a SLAPP suit designed to silence me.  The complaint was simply amended (for the second time) to keep silencing me, this time complaining that my filing FOIA requests is the basis for jurisdiction over me.  So much for freedom of information from the "Office for Intellectual Freedom."

Here is new information:
  1. The American Library Association trained librarians to file defamation suits against child porn whistleblowers as it could run them up to $500,000.00 in legal fees.  This is evidenced by notes taken at one such training by one of the librarians being trained whose notes were obtained by FOIA request.  Yes, I've been in this defamation suit defending gay rights for over a year and legal fees are really piling up.  It's part of ALA's strategy that it teaches others to use.
  2. The plaintiff has been ostensibly soliciting funding, when in reality it is just for show as this multi-year lawsuit of hers is likely being funding by the American Library Association, possibly with funding ALA receives from the Open Society Institute. Pictured at right is the plaintiff vacationing in Florida while simultaneous having a GoFundMe page.  See: "Orland Park Library's Bridget Bittman Begs On GoFundMe – Vacations in Florida."
  3. I have reported on others disclosing homophobia by a library and by ALA.  I am being sued to silence me for reporting that.  New information is that I have been offered a settlement that IF I DELETED WHAT I WROTE ABOUT ALA's HOMOPHOBIA, THE CASE WOULD BE DROPPED AGAINST ME.  Naturally I'm going to continue to stand up for the rights of gay people not to have their defenders silenced with the filing of SLAPP suits; I'm not deleting this post.
  4. Besides likely funding the lawsuit, the American Library Association is actively suppressing some of the evidence needed to show that it used, allowed, and rehired a homophobic trainer who questioned why a woman would let her small children around a gay man.  The evidence is needed to show not only that ALA is homophobic but also that ALA is training librarians to destroy evidence of crimes in public libraries where such crimes are caused by ALA's pro-child porn policies. Public librarians are following ALA orders to destroy evidence and doing so violates laws preventing the destruction of public documents.  Fortunately, some FOIA responses were received before librarians complied with ALA's destruction orders instead of the law.  Therefore, from a FOIA request response, here is the letter ALA sent to destroy evidence of its homophobia and its ordering librarians to break public records laws:

I am perfectly willing to show the entire recording, there will be nothing taken "out of context."  Besides, when it comes to homophobia, it's acceptable in the right context?
"Deny, delete, defend."  This from the attorney and Deputy Director of ALA's—get this—"Office for Intellectual Freedom."

As to the homophobia, can you imagine any one using and rehiring homophobic trainers then ordering the destruction of evidence that proves it beyond the shadow of a doubt?  The American Library Association has done this.

We must demand ALA disclose the evidence.  After it does, we must address the homophobia, let alone the directives to hide evidence of crime from the public or to destroy it.

And absolutely no media in over a year has written on this LGBT hate right in the heart of the American Library Association's "Office for Intellectual Freedom."  Worse, the few librarians who do discuss this do so only to smear me; they ignore the homophobia and attack the messenger.

It's like homophobia is acceptable if it helps ALA maintain its pro-child porn policies.  Is homophobia ever acceptable?

It is my opinion that homophobia runs deep within the library profession because both librarians and library media actively cover up for the homophobia that ALA displays and orders librarians to suppress, and most comply.

A few brave souls are willing to ignore ALA and, anonymously, disclose the truth directly to me or the child p0rn whistleblowers.  Thank goodness.  More reports are welcome.  Anonymity / confidentiality guaranteed.

The above is all my opinion, of course, intended for a worldwide audience, so there should be no further misunderstanding or excuse to file an additional SLAPP suit.


NOTE ADDED 26 MARCH 2016:

Here are updates on the lawsuit that this post of mine somehow engendered:
Then there's this. The Orland Park Public Library has become a pop culture joke.  Again.

Besides the Saturday Night Live skit shown above, this is fresh from the library's own local Chicago Tribune newspapers: "No one will be surfing for pornography on the Internet at the Orland Park Public Library on Good Friday."  Here's a picture showing the article dated March 24, 2016, 4:14 PM:



However, in more evidence how the media helps the American Library Association of Chicago, IL, hide the effect of its pro child porn policies from the public, the Chicago Tribune CHANGED THE WORDING TO ELIMINATE THE PORN SURFING THE LIBRARY ALLOWS LEADING TO THE CHILD PORN SURFING IT COVERS UP.  Here's the cleaned up wording:

 "You can surf the Internet at the Orland Park Public Library, which is open on Good Friday, but not at the Tinley Park Public Library, which is closed."
Here's a picture showing the article date was modified the very next morning, March 25, 2016, 11:35 AM, likely when "pornography" was disappeared.  Not even whitewashed, just disappeared.  Boy, they jumped on that pretty fast!  Chicago protecting its own.



NOTE ADDED 16 MAY 2016:

The case against me has been dismissed a second time, this time with prejudice:

NOTE ADDED 24 JUNE 2016:

My self-censoring this "Gay Hate @ Your Library" page was a constant demand of the plaintiff.  I show here how ALA was then homophobic.  To this day, ALA has continued to cover up the homophobia.  ALA is homophobic and has been for years.  You can't be gay friendly if you're a little bit homophobic and you keep hiding your homophobia and attacking the people exposing the homophobia and trying to get them to delete the evidence of your homophobia:




On Twitter:  @AtYourLibrary @ECWDogs @IntolerantFox @OIF @OrlandPkLibrary @VillageOrlandPk