‘The decision was mine:' Pride Month display removed from Richmond Hill library

Nearly two dozen residents in Bryan County held a protest June 12 after learning a display celebrating Pride Month in the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Public Library was placed in the children’s section. The protest, which took place outside the library on Highway 144, called for the material to be removed.

According to Regional Director Jennifer Durham, the display was removed and placed in the adult section June 5, and was then removed altogether June 14, two days after the protest.

“We were super excited,” said Richmond Hill resident Betsy DeBry upon learning the display was removed. “Everybody involved was very professional. It shows people listen. It shows the values of Bryan County, that they care about our kids. I give credit to the library system and the county commissioners. We have good leaders.”

DeBry, who teaches Natural Family Planning classes at Saint Anne Catholic Church in Richmond Hill, first noticed the Pride Month display while visiting the library with her grandson. DeBry participated in the protest and also spoke out about the display during a recent county commissioner’s meeting.

“I am here to ask you to have the library remove the display and reshelve the books and to do so permanently so that Pride month is not recognized going forward,” said DeBry in a statement she read during the meeting. “We are not asking for a display promoting abstinence and heterosexual marriage. All we are asking is for the library to remain neutral. I ask you to vote now, tonight, to have the display permanently removed. This is not a hard thing to do. It is the right thing to do.”

Aaron Kappler, Bryan County's attorney, stated during the meeting that DeBry would need to address her concerns with the library board.

“The Library Board governs the actions of the library,” said Kappler during the meeting. “The Library Board has hired an executive director to operate that library and so any concerns or complaints about how the library is functioning can be addressed to the Library Board, who can then address it with their executive director. This board specifically does not have any authority to direct that action or conduct.”

According to Durham, the library board did not vote to remove the Pride Month display.

“There was no meeting of the Bryan County Library Board regarding this,” said Durham. “The decision was mine in my role as Regional Library Director. The Board was informed of my decision after I met with the staff on June 14. Since I received the first complaint, the citizens from Bryan County have called and emailed me. The first complaint I received was June 5. The library board's regular meeting was June 6 and I informed them of the complaint and my decision to move the display during my report. Afterwards, I continued to receive emails, calls and staff reports regarding the display. I also reviewed the public comments from the Bryan County Commissioner's meeting on June 11.”

The library receives funding from a number of entities locally and through state grants.

“Operations of two libraries in Bryan County are primarily funded by the Bryan County Board of Commissioners,” said Durham. “The Bryan Board of Education provides some funds, which are used for materials. In FY2024, those amounts were $486,943 and $7,000, respectively. Materials are also funded through the state grant to our regional library system, donations, the Friends of the Library and overdue fines. The combined materials budgets for the libraries in FY24 was $67,600.”

Durham provided protocol for residents to follow if they want the library board to address concerns.

“If a resident wants something added to the agenda for a library board meeting, they can call or email me,” said Durham. “The Bryan County Library Board meets four times per year, usually on the third Thursday at 5 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 15 in Pembroke.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: ‘The decision was mine:' Pride Month display removed from Richmond Hill library