A portion of the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library’s Banned Books Week display is shown in this photo from the library’s Instagram account. “Gender Queer,” whose display is the subject of a resolution of censure on Tuesday’s Parkersburg City Council agenda, is seen on the third shelf down. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — Parkersburg City Council will consider a resolution of censure Tuesday over the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library’s display of a book with graphic content for Banned Books Week.

Area resident Jessica Rowley brought copies of images from “Gender Queer,” an autobiographical graphic novel by Maia Kobabe about their experience as a nonbinary individual that contains some images of nudity and people engaged in sexual activity, to the Oct. 25 council meeting.

Rowley said the book had been displayed last month near the front of the library and was available for children to check out. In response, Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said she was sickened and would not vote for the renewal of the library’s levy on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Because of Election Day, council is meeting a week earlier than usual, on Tuesday. The resolution of censure is one of three items on the agenda for the 7:30 p.m. meeting in council chambers at the Municipal Building.

Another would reallocate $134,369.07 from leftover funds in the Community Development Block Grant budget to the Minor Home Repair program line item. The third seeks budget revisions for $50,000 to purchase and install a new pump and motor for the City Park pool, to correct a problem that caused it to close a few days early this summer, and $30,000 to rebuild the motor on a 2011 fire truck with 56,000 miles on it, Mayor Tom Joyce said.

The text of the censure resolution says that while council recognizes the importance of the library and acknowledges it should have freedom to provide books and materials reflecting a wide variety of views, the contents of “Gender Queer” are “obscene and pornographic and are beyond the reasonable standards of this community.” It urges the library to “take decisive measures to prevent access of this book to minors.”

Councilman Bob Mercer co-sponsored the resolution with Kuhl and Councilwoman Jesse Cottrille. He said the point is not to ban the book but make sure it can’t be accessed by children.

“Our kids are being inundated with crazy stuff,” Mercer said. “I just think it’s totally ridiculous. I’m telling you what, not a lot of stuff shocks me. But that did.”

Joyce said the resolution was proposed by council but he thinks “that material … should not be available to underage persons without parental guidance or supervision.”

Library Executive Director Brian Raitz said the book was part of a display in the main part of the library for Banned Books Week for two or three weeks in September. The goal of the display was to illustrate to people what books have been challenged in libraries across the country and generate discussion, he said.

“I think it was completely appropriate. It did exactly what it was supposed to do,” Raitz said. “It sat on the shelf the entire time. I don’t think anybody ever checked it out.”

The book is normally located in the adult section of the library, under nonfiction, Raitz said. Most children who come into the library head for the kids’ section with their family, he said.

“They’re much more interested in the Minecraft book or the Pokemon book,” Raitz said.

While Raitz considers “Gender Queer” to be geared toward an adult audience, it has been classified by some as a young adult book and Kobabe recommended it in a 2021 interview for high school students and up.

Raitz said determining what someone else should read or not read is a slippery slope and library personnel don’t place themselves in that role. Children can check out anything in the library but it’s up to their parents to decide what they should or shouldn’t read, he said.

“You’re the one that determines for yourself, or if you have children, for your children, what is appropriate,” Raitz said.

Rowley and Kuhl said during Tuesday’s meeting that the content of the book appeared to constitute obscenity under city and state code. Raitz said the book has been unsuccessfully challenged in court elsewhere.

As far as restricting access beyond the adult section of the library — such as storing it under lock and key — Raitz asked who would determine what materials went in there. He said that would not only restrict access to adults but perhaps make materials more enticing to children.

While he said he believes the majority of parents understand it, Raitz said he’s considering “doing a better job of educating our patrons when they sign up for their kids’ cards” that there aren’t restrictions on what a cardholder can check out. He noted the library also has a policy that children age 8 and younger must be accompanied by adults.

The library has a process for challenging materials in its collection, Raitz said, but so far, no one has filed a formal challenge to “Gender Queer.”

Raitz said he hopes Kuhl reconsiders her statement that she should would vote against the levy but “I can understand the strong response when faced with certain images that might be offensive to you.” He noted the levy provides 30% of the library’s funding.

“If we lose funding, the library will have to look at possibly drastically reducing our services and possibly closing library branches, including the south Parkersburg branch, which is in her (Kuhl’s) district,” Raitz said.

Kuhl clarified Friday that the book issue was not the sole reason she plans to vote against the levy but it is a factor. As for what might happen if the levy fails, she said, “they will have to do what they need to do.”

Kuhl said she hopes there can be a resolution to the issue before Tuesday.

“I really don’t want to censure the library,” she said. “The library’s an important part of our community.”