Officials in a northwest Iowa public library have not yet decided how to respond after someone checked four LGBTQ books out of the library and burned them during the recent Orange City Pride Festival. Paul Dorr, leader of a religious group called Rescue the Perishing, burned the books in a live post on Facebook to protest homosexuality.
“This is the first incident like this that I have encountered, that I think has happened in Orange City,” says Orange City Public Library director Amanda Vazquez.
The library board hasn’t yet discussed the book burning.
We do have policies in place for dealing with patrons that have materials that are damaged or not returned,” she says. Vasquez says news stories about the book burning have sparked attention for the Orange City institution.
“We’ve received a lot of emails and phone calls and cards and letters expressing their support for the library,” Vasquez says. “We received a number of donations of both materials and financial donations from all over the country, really, in support of the library.”
Dorr told The Sioux City Journal he does not intend to pay to replace the books he burned. Earlier this year, a petition was circulated to have books written from an LGBTQ perspective removed from the library in Orange City.
(By Mark Buss, KSOU, Sioux Center)