Self-proclaimed “Marxist lesbian” Emily Drabinski is doubling down on a controversial statement she made on social media last year after being elected as president of the American Library Association, a powerful nonprofit which influences education policy nationwide.
Once her proclamation picked up steam on social media, her position and that of the ALA was called into question by educators, politicians, and parents. And rightfully so. What followed was the separation of several states from the ALA. Others are rumored to be following suit.
You may remember that Drabinski tweeted how thankful she was that a “Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world” had been elected to lead the organization.
One would think that the head of an association as large and influential as the ALA might temper or walk back incendiary statements such as hers, especially in a climate where librarians, educators, and progressives are often needing to defend their activist tendencies when it comes to what they are marketing toward children. After all, Drabinski did delete the tweet, so perhaps she regretted being so forthright with her intentions.
Despite the sharp and swift criticism, Drabinski chose to defend her statement in an interview with NBC News and instead pointed the finger at those who take issue with her advertising her self-described queerness and Marxist leanings.
“I was excited to highlight and celebrate two aspects of my identity that are really important to me, and are often under a lot of scrutiny,” she said. “I didn’t anticipate these kinds of targeted attacks being used as a bludgeon against library workers across the country. I really think that is regrettable, and I wish that wasn’t happening right now.”
There is no shortage of conversations about what is happening in our schools and public libraries. Concerned parents and citizens across the country are facing an uphill battle simply to ensure that inappropriate material isn’t displayed front and center upon walking into the classroom. Librarians and educators are claiming they are the victims of harassment and bullying when, in the majority of cases, it’s simply parents not wanting a pornographic book like Gender Queer accessible to their third grader.
This tinderbox atmosphere makes it even more convenient for Drabinski to not apologize for her statement. After all, when the justified and inevitable pushback arrives at her doorstep, she can cry: “Bullying! Bigotry! Extremism!”
It’s a brilliant plan when you think about it: the very organization which peddles propaganda to the nation and claims conservatives want to ban and burn all books featuring a “person of color” can now back up their nefarious actions, even when parents are once again rightfully concerned that Drabinski sees fit to purposefully advertise her queerness and Marxist ideology.
The ALA and Drabinksi aren’t afraid or backing away from their belief system. They proudly defend putting books in children's sections that have no business being there. On the mantle of “inclusion,” they will hand children reading material that would make an adult blush. If you question it, well, you’re the bigoted, narrow-minded homophobe.
Christians and conservatives would do well to remember that we need to have just as much resolve and backbone when fighting back against the creep of a fruitless and dangerous ideology. They aren’t standing down, so why should we?
