JAMESTOWN CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — In August, a group of concerned citizens succeeded in leading an effort to stop a millage proposal from passing that would have funded Jamestown Township's Patmos Library.
The group spearheaded the effort against the millage because of books that were part of a Pride display that included the book "Gender Queer: A Memoir," a graphic novel that explains what it means to be nonbinary and asexual.
The group claims that the book, along with a few other LGBTQ+ themed books, are "grooming children for sexual exploitation."
The library's millage ended up failing by a rather large margin of 1,905 votes against the millage and 1,142 for the millage.
The failed millage strips the 2023 budget for the Patmos Library, which could have resulted in a closure by the end of 2023.
But, nearly a month after the millage vote, a GoFundMe campaign to raise $245,000 to keep the library open has met its goal. The fundraiser saw thousands of donations, with a dozen donations over $1,000 and a $50,000 donation from author Nora Roberts.
"Libraries and librarians should be valued and celebrated, never attacked and demeaned. 50k is the limit GoFundMe allows for donations. If you’re short of your goal, please contact me. I’ll make up the rest," Roberts wrote in her message attached to the GoFundMe donation.
Roberts is an author who is best known for her romance novels, which she has written more than 225 and sold over 500 million copies of her novels.
The money raised through GoFundMe is more than the library's yearly budget of $245,000, of which 84% would have come from the millage.
During an open forum at the library after the failed millage, residents were able to voice their concerns both for and against the library's LGBTQ+ related books.
"When did it become a library's duty to be obsessive about gender and sexuality for children?" said one resident during the forum. "It's a parent's job to ensure that their children grow up to be stable and self-confident."
One speaker, the mother of a transgender child, says books like that are important in a public place to show acceptance in the community.
"It hurts me so bad that I now have to homeschool my child because your kids bullied him so much," she said.
Prior to the fundraiser reaching its goal, the library board unanimously voted to put another millage vote on the November ballot.
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