Hi everyone, I am going to be addressing rockingham county regarding the Eden Library at an upcoming meeting. If you live in Eden, please take a few moments to read through this petition and sign to show your support. Please feel free to share this with anyone else you know that might be interested. 

This topic involves the teen section of the Eden public library, and I want to be very clear: this is not about banning books. It is about the active promotion of ideology in a publicly funded space for minors.

In December of 2025 I visited Library with my two daughters aged 11 & 13 at the time. In the teen section, LGBTQIA romance titles are consistently highlighted as “staff picks” with special bookmarks that read: “Young adult books about LGBTQIA Pride: celebrating and recognizing LGBTQIA individuals.” Additionally on the backside it boasts that Librarians are readily available to assist teens in finding more Pride titles if the shelf selection is insufficient. This is not passive availability; it is curated promotion.

What is notably absent is balance. There are no cooking books, no general life-skills books, and no Christian or faith-based novels highlighted as staff picks in the teen section.

This raises a concern: the way these books and students are highlighted may create the perception that certain teens are being treated as especially celebrated or prioritized, which can influence other teens’ behavior or sense of belonging. If some teens are visibly “glorified” while others are not, how is this truly inclusive for all teens in the community?

Even more concerning, these types of curated promotions do not appear in the adult section, rather heterosexual romances are highlighted.

Inclusion should not mean repeatedly elevating one identity or belief system while ignoring the values and comfort of the majority of teens and families in this community. A public library should be a place of access, not influence.

When government-funded institutions selectively promote ideology to minors—especially through staff-curated displays—it crosses from inclusion into conditioning. That is not neutral, and it is not appropriate for a public library.

I am asking the council to review these practices and ensure that the teen section reflects balance, neutrality, and respect for the full Eden community, not advocacy.

Thank you for your time and consideration