The “Protect the Freedom to Read in Michigan” petition, launched in July, has compiled about 3,000 signatures so far and will eventually be delivered to the governor in Lansing in October. Amid ongoing attempts to ban gender-themed books in local libraries by concerned parents and taxpayers, Michigan’s library association and their supporters are urging state leaders to boost funding, push local boards to reject censorship, and reaffirm the public’s right to free access to information.

Rising tensions between parents and library lobbyists.

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On their website the MLA states, “Libraries across Michigan are facing growing attacks – from efforts to ban books to political pressure aimed at censoring ideas. This petition calls on Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature to defend the freedom to read, support library workers, and protect critical statewide library programs. To that effort, the petition also asks lawmakers to shovel more taxpayer cash into library coffers.

The petition says that since 2021, public libraries across Michigan have confronted an unprecedented rise in coordinated attempts to ban books, restrict access to ideas, and undermine a core tenet of public libraries: to serve everyone, without bias or exclusion.

Polls, petitions, and political theater.

According to polling by research firm EPIC-MRA, 75% of voters say they trust librarians to decide what books belong in libraries. What the poll doesn’t mention? Many parents are fed up with being treated badly for wanting age-appropriate library shelves.

Pushback against gender-themed books.

Many parents and concerned Michiganders have pushed back against what they view as “pornography” on library shelves. Among them is Republican Lapeer County Prosecutor John Miller, who has argued that Gender Queer: A Memoir in particular is not appropriate for children to access in libraries. The book has been found not only in public libraries but also in school libraries.

Miller says the book “borders on child pornography” and contends that “books that encourage children to engage in sexual acts when they’re not the legal age are not appropriate for a public library where children are encouraged… to explore.”

At the end of the day, the fight over Michigan’s library shelves to many isn’t really about “freedom to read” — it’s about who decides what’s appropriate for kids. As the petition makes its way to Lansing, the battle over Michigan’s libraries shows no sign of closing the book anytime soon.