The Rancho Peñasquitos branch of the San Diego Public Library set up a small display of LGBTQ+ books as part of the library's annual acknowledgement of Pride month. The titles included Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement by Stella Caldwell and Rainbow Parade by Emily Neilson.

Amy Vance and Martha Martin, two adult residents of Rancho Peñasquitos (a majority white San Diego suburb), checked out nearly all of the books from the branch's Pride display and openly refused to return them as they felt the books were "inappropriate content" for children. The library's Pride display was not in or near the children's section.

Appointing themselves morality police officers, Vance and Martin prevented library patrons access to titles potentially interesting to them, including young LGBTQ+ readers. These Anita Bryants also prevented people with questions about identity to access these materials in what may be the only safe place for them to do so - the public library.

Stealing books from the public library because you don't agree with their content is repulsive, as is anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry. We implore the San Diego Public Library to revoke indefinitely the borrowing privileges of Amy Vance and Martha Martin - for the safety of the public library and that of the community.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2023-06-28/protestors-ruin-rancho-penasquitos-librarys-pride-exhibit-by-checking-out-nearly-all-the-books​

https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2023/07/05/q-a-the-response-to-an-anti-lgbtq-protest-at-a-san-diego-library