to the Arlington City Council

The Arlington Public Library system has been under assault this fall by fundamentalist Christians who insist that LGBTQ+ materials and displays in the libraries should be severely restricted. The City Council receives and acts on recommendations from the library’s Advisory Board.

In October 2022, the librarians and the Advisory Board brokered a compromise between inclusive Arlington citizens and the anti-LGBTQ+ faction, but in November 2022 the City Council began to waver on their commitment to follow the Advisory Board’s advice.

Galileo co-conspirator Tracie Quinn offered this public comment at the November 2022 Arlington City Council meeting.

Tracie (left) in her natural habitat, registering voters.

Hello, my name is Tracie Quinn, I’ve lived in Arlington since 2004. I have a senior at Martin High, and they just got accepted to UTA in the fall, yay!

Today I am here to represent myself and my child as we are both a part of the LGBTQ+ community and a part of the Christian community. I am also here as a member of the Arlington Residents for Inclusion group.

Our group has been attending the Library Advisory Board Meetings to let the advisory board know we are in support of Pride displays in our libraries, in all sections of the library, especially during the month of June. It is important for all ages to see representation in their public library.

We want inclusion for LGBTQ+ residents of Arlington because we are a vibrant part of this city. Knowing that people like [name] are in opposition of us using the name of God as a weapon is baffling to me, because I know God’s love is for everyone and anyone who says otherwise is just hateful.

[Name] and other Christian nationalists have been in private meetings with some of you, have stood here and spoken, and have sent email after email, all demanding the LGBTQ+ community be erased, hidden, and silenced. And they have talked against the American Library Association and its ethical standards for librarians on numerous occasions.

Fun fact: the ALA began in 1876, which is the same year Arlington was founded. The mission of the ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” The ALA is in favor of inclusion and diversity.

This is not a “woke” agenda, as some people are so interested in labeling it. This is a call for empathy and support, which reflects widespread public sentiment. For example: this year, Gallup released a poll which showed that 70% of Americans support gay marriage—including a majority among adults 65 and up, Protestants, and Republicans. Supporting LGBTQ+ people and providing resources for the community is not the controversial issue it once was.

The Arlington city government struggling with this issue is newsworthy and does not reflect well on our city. We see the exclusion of LGBTQ+ books happening in libraries all over the nation, but each one of you has the opportunity to stop the hate, say no, not here, not in Arlington.

The 10 values of the Arlington City Council are: Teamwork, Responsiveness, Respect, Innovation, Commitment, Integrity, Diversity , Kindness, Unity, and Racial Equity. Please remember these values when you are making decisions for all of the residents in our city.

I have been praying for all of you and will continue to pray for you and the flourishing of Arlington. Thank you for the hard work that you are doing.