The two Pride displays, which were erected at the beginning of June, are split between the adult section and the teen section. Mike Ashby is the executive director of the Peabody Public Library. He says they decided to put up the displays during Pride month to show the library is a safe inclusive place for everyone in the community.
The letter, signed by all three commissioners, says it is the responsibility of parents to provide their children with sexual education, not libraries or other public entities. Lori Shipman is a library board trustee for Peabody and attended the demonstration in support of the Pride displays. She says the board received both positive and negative comments, until a social media campaign began. Shipman says she then began receiving emails from people wanting to support the library and the Pride display.
Residents showed up to check out the books in the Pride displays and also cater lunch for the library staff as a show of appreciation. Ashby came to Peabody Public Library in January. He says he was told by staff that in previous years, when they would try to put up a Pride display, it would be taken down after any complaint. Next month, the library will have a display focused on Christian literature, because members of the community have requested it.
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