Lafayette residents, activists and library leaders butted heads Wednesday at a public meeting on the recent controversial book display ban that went into effect in early June. 

Previously the library system would highlight celebrations like Pride Month, which is this month, or Black History Month, which occurs in February, with displays of prominent books on those subjects at some of its locations. 

But going forward, any displays that highlight only part of Lafayette’s population will be halted, including displays centering on Cajun and Creole culture, religious holidays and other group-specific topics. 

That decision was made by Library Director Danny Gillane. 

Ahead of a public meeting, the Lafayette chapter of the NAACP held a news conference in the library parking lot to protest the display restrictions.

Cancel culture? Advocates argue that Lafayette library avoiding Pride, Cajun displays is

“By having a policy in place that forbids library staff from creating displays that actually highlight diversity and encourage inclusion, it runs counter to the spirit and mission of the library in being a place that meets the needs of the community," said Lafayette NAACP President Ravis Martinez. 

Martinez said he and other NAACP members met with Gillane last week to discuss the issue.

Gillaine has said that he made the decision to get library workers off the frontlines of nationwide culture war issues. The change comes at the start of Pride Month, which Gillane attributed to unfortunate timing but also a series of challenges levied at LGBTQ+ library materials. 

Though the library will no longer set up displays of books and materials highlighting those topics, the materials will remain on their shelves in the library’s collection just as before.

"Even though I and we can respect his stance and the reason why he took the position he did...we feel that his overall solution to the problem was misguided and it was the wrong one to be made," Martinez said. 

At the meeting, Gillane reaffirmed his decision. He said he never singled out which groups aren't allowed to be displayed and that his words about which topics were "political" were misconstrued.

"We're not going to separate out a portion of the population and that's any portion," he said. 

A speaker at the event pointed out that the word 'any' is arbitrary and may contain implicit judgments not being said out loud. 

"Anything displayed, by definition, singles out a particular portion of the population," said Seth Roy. "By this logic, we couldn’t have a display on fly fishing, because it singles out only those who are interested in fly fishing."

Roy said the word 'any' unevenly applies to those who have experienced discrimination on the basis of race, sex, sexuality and relgion. 

"The framework that calls your cis, white, heterosexual bodies ‘normal’ and my Black, queer body, ‘political.’ That’s the only way in which you can use the word ‘any’ in that construction," Roy said.

More:No Pride Month, Women's history or any 'political' displays at Lafayette libraries: Why?

Supporters of Gillane’s decision, many of whom came from religious organizations, spoke at the meeting, arguing that public libraries should be “neutral spaces,” where differences in cultures, religious beliefs, race and ethnicity are not highlighted in book displays. 

“Our libraries should not be used for advocacy under the guise of information,” said Corey Grimley, a Lafayette resident who supported Gillane’s decision. “[Political topics] are given their place in the shelves of the library. They are given that space without giving them a preferential display.”

Last year, the library had three Pride Month displays across its nine locations, which Gillane said drew complaints from members of the public and of the library’s Board of Control. 

In recent months, three LGBTQ+ items have been challenged for removal from the library’s collection, though none have been removed. None of those materials were part of displays when they were challenged. 

After recent challenges to LGBTQ+ materials failed, the library’s Board of Control voted to expand its ability to remove books from the library’s collection since librarians had twice thwarted those efforts in opposition to board members. 

Gillane said that the library continues to purchase materials that people take issue with.

"The books are still on the shelf and my goal is to keep them on the shelf regardless of what anyone else would like me to do,” he said.  

Still, those opposing the decision are not convinced the rule was made from a neutral standpoint and don't believe it will be enforced neutrally. 

“I find it troublesome that we continue to have this idea that being born in some way is an issue that needs to be dealt with politically," said Jim Bass, who spoke in opposition to Gillane's decision at the meeting. “We should not be hiding these people. We should not be treating them as issues."