New Jersey LGBT Law

BURLINGTON CO.—Two New Jersey libraries have banned a gay-themed book from circulation, the Courier Post reports.

The book entitled Revolutionary Voices is an anthology of written testimonies by gay youths. It has been pulled from the shelves at Rancocas Valley Regional High School and the Burlington County library system for, what Burlington library director Gail Sweet described as, child pornography.

A series of emails between library staff planning to remove the book were released Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.

How can we grab the books so that they never, ever get back into circulation, Sweet wrote to an employee. Copies need to totally disappear.

Deputy legal director of the ACLU-NJ Jeanne LoCicero expressed concern that the book was pulled unfairly since library commissioners had yet to vote on its removal.

We’re still assessing the situation, LoCicero told the Courier Post Wednesday.

In May, Revolutionary Voices was pulled from Rancocas Valley Regional High School library following opposition by Beverly Marinelli, a member of the local conservative group the 9/12 Project. Marinelli has described the book as pervasively vulgar and obscene.

According to the Courier Post, she could not be reached for further comment.

The bans have sparked one New Jersey native to host a series of readings from the gay-themed anthology.

I did it so people could actually hear the words in the book, said Brandon Monokian, an actor who graduated from Rancocas Valley in 2005. I just think they (the writers) are speaking from the heart.

New Jersey Library Association President, Patricia Tumulty declined to comment on the most recent removal, but did mention a statement she released after the Rancocas Valley removal.

Libraries do not discriminate against unpopular or controversial ideas, the statement said. To the contrary, they select resources so that the library collection meets the needs of everyone in the community it serves.