Photo of pronoun pin
PINS: Teens were welcomed to the Terry Library for an afternoon of pronoun pin making. Brian Chilson

Pronouns. He, him, she, her, they, them. These words have sparked political controversy nationwide, especially with those who work against LBGTQ+ rights.

Last week, Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) complained that a Central Arkansas Library System LGBTQ+ program was “targeting minors with content that is sexual in nature.” One of the programs mentioned was a pronoun pin event, where teens can come together and craft a wearable pin that expresses their identity.

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Undeterred, CALS hosted the event Monday at the Terry Library and attracted teenagers who happily made pins. The environment was affirming and inviting. Conversation was casual and introductions even included everyone’s favorite dad joke. Attendees cheered for people who finished their pins and they asked when the next button-making event was coming — it’s Sept. 19. 

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The library system also has an upcoming “LGBTQ+ Teens: Know Your Rights” program — both of which Executive Director Nate Coulter ensured were not “sexual,” in an Aug. 26 response to Rapert. In August, the libraries hosted multiple programs specifically centered around LGBTQ+ teens.

In his tweet, Rapert wanted to know if parental consent forms were obtained and if the counties that fund the CALS approve of the events. He stated he would set a date for an Arkansas Senate State Agencies Committee meeting and urged the CALS to testify about the programing and, “why you are using public funds to groom minors into the LGBTQ lifestyle.”

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Replies on Rapert’s tweet are flooded with cheese emojis and memes. Scouring the internet of meme culture only produced that we think people are giving Rapert a little cheese with his “whine.” 

Coulter publicly responded to Rapert’s concerns that these programs were funded in part by the Arkansas LGBTQ+ Advancement Fund, made possible by philanthropic Walton family funds, and money from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. “CALS is proud to serve as a resource for patrons in the LGBTQ+ community who seek a safe and consistent space for meetings, programs and information,” the letter said.

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Photo of a Pronoun pinMary Hennigan
PROGRAMS: The Central Arkansas Library System offers programs to several demographics, one being the LGBTQ+ community.

At the event Monday, library staff hoped no one would physically come to protest the event because of Rapert’s pushback — and no one did. Jet, a teen programer, said CALS has put on much larger and more publicized events that received little or no complaints. Teen pride events have attracted up to 100 attendees in the past, and a disco-themed prom event had a turnout of about 40 in June, Jet said. (Jet asked we only use his first name out of concern for his safety.)

But the objective number turnout isn’t as important to Jet as the impact on each individual, he said. As long as kids keep showing up for the events, they will continue, and Jet said he’s inspired by the young people who already feel self-assured about who they are. That’s something he didn’t fully feel comfortable with until he was about 25 years old, he said.

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“I’m doing this program again,” Jet said. “Even if one person shows up, it makes me happy.”

These programs create a safe environment for anyone in the public who is interested in learning more about the community, wants to become an ally or find commonalities, said Tameka Lee, the CALS communication director. 

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“All are welcome to the program,” she said.

Lee said the pushback for LGBTQ+ programs are mostly that the content is inappropriate and for too young of an audience. It is unlikely that these programs would leave the library’s schedule, she said.

Jet emphasized that libraries providing a GSA, or gender sexuality alliance, isn’t new. The planning for Teens 4 Inqlusion programs at the CALS started in the fall of 2021 after a guest speaker from Salt Lake City visited and talked about its library’s GSA.

“Having GSAs in libraries is not new,” he said. “Having queer- and trans-centered for youth and adults in libraries isn’t new. We are doing something that our contemporaries are doing, and have been doing. And in that same vein, queer and trans identities are not new.

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In-person and grab-and-go programming for Teens 4 Inqlusion started in March 2022, when the libraries lifted COVID-19 restrictions. All library programs are optional.

“I think it’s important to let teens and all young folks know — to give them the knowledge of their potentials,” Jet said.

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