Residents Flood Library With New Copies of LGBTQ Books Stolen by Anti-Pride Protestors

When the manager of a San Diego library learned protestors had deliberately checked out every single LGBTQ book, with the intention of holding them forever hostage, she took her story to the media. But Adrianne Peterson could never have predicted the response the article on her plight generated.

After the San Diego Union-Tribune ran an article about the books being hijacked, Peterson — who oversees the Rancho Peñasquitos branch of the San Diego Public Library — was inundated with brand-new replacements.

Peterson said that she learned the books wouldn't be returned when an email arrived in her inbox from two residents, demanding that the library permanently remove the books, which they'd deemed "inappropriate content."

She feared she may have misread the community. But she was wrong.

In an update from The New York Times, Peterson reveals that Amazon boxes by the dozens started arriving at the library after the initial article, containing copies of the books that had been taken by the anti-LGBTQ protestors.

In addition, roughly 180 people — mostly San Diegans — donated more than $15,000 to the library system. The city agreed to match that amount, meaning there's more than $30,000 earmarked for more LGBTQ-themed materials and programming.

For months, conservative-led groups have been demanding certain titles be removed from their local libraries. Towns have been fighting back with legal action, protests, and legislation designed to keep books on library shelves.

Even former President Barack Obama has weighed in on the issue.

In 2022, 2,571 unique titles were the subject of censorship attempts, according to the American Library Associates. That represented a 38% increase over 2021.

Peterson also reveals to the Times that despite the vows set for in the threatening email, the checked-out books have been returned.