Letter: Library's Pride Month decision is out of date with the times

This letter is from Angie Palacios of Savannah

I wanted to respond to Latrice Williams’ article, The Decision was Mine: Pride Month Display Removed from Richmond Hill Library published on June 25.

As a recent graduate from Savannah State University with a bachelor's in social work, and current graduate student at the University of Georgia pursuing my masters, I had an opinion over the protest to remove the Pride Month display.

I want to start by saying that I validate the thoughts of those that were upset by the display. However, as one of the new generation of social workers, I believe that the library should’ve kept the Pride Month display up. As social workers, we are taught to be open-minded, promote equality, and advocate to promote social change. Whether or not people want to recognize it, we are living in a new day where the LGBTQ+ community is growing and embracing their selves. Leaving the display up at the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Public Library would give children the opportunity to educate themselves at a young age about the world they live in.

I understand the concerns that parents in the community have about their children being exposed to this information at an early age, but sheltering children from the reality is just going to continue causing more harm than good towards the LGBTQ+ community.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Letter: Library's Pride Month decision is out of date with the times