A Texas lawmaker is calling on the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to sever ties with the American Library Association after discovering the organization elected a self-identified “Marxist lesbian” to be its new president.
When Emily Drabinski was elected to the post by the American Library Association’s (ALA) membership last year, she tweeted, “I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of @ALALibrary. I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity!”
She later deleted the tweet.
In a letter to Commissioner Martha Wong, chair of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) stated, “I have been made aware that the [ALA] has elected Emily Drabinski, a self-proclaimed ‘Marxist lesbian’ and member of the Democratic Socialists of America as President. This shocking information has caused the Montana State Library Commission to leave the ALA and has led state legislators across the country to demand their Commissions do the same.”
“Texas should be leading the fight against Marxist ideology; not subsidizing it,” Harrison continued. “Taxpayer funded indoctrination has no place in Texas.”
“Ms. Drabinki has promised to radicalize the ALA. … [S]he published a paper entitled, ‘Queering the Catalog: Queer Theory and the Politics of Correction,’ where she explicitly opposes library neutrality in favor of forcing librarians to become ‘politically engaged’ from a ‘queer perspective,’” he asserted.
Drawing a connection between the ALA and the ongoing debate about sexually explicit books in school and public libraries, Harrison claimed the ALA “works against parents by fighting to keep pornographic materials in public libraries under the guise of opposing ‘censorship.’ The ALA’s ‘Office for Intellectual Freedom,’ states that libraries can’t remove inappropriate books.”
Harrison concluded his letter by calling on TSLAC to immediately sever all ties, “financial and otherwise,” with the ALA, arguing that “[h]ard-working Texans must not be forced to fund organizations that work against their values and endanger children.”
“By sending tax dollars to the ALA, you are forcing my constituents’ money to be weaponized against them, their values, and their children,” Harrison stated.
Harrison’s call makes Texas the ninth state to have legislators demand disassociation from the ALA, according to Andy Roth, president of the State Freedom Caucus Network. Other states include Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and South Carolina.
Montana has actually already severed its connection to the ALA. According to the Cowboy State Daily, its state library commission wrote in a draft letter, “Our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist.”
The ALA denounced the decision, “The value placed on ensuring diversity in perspective and background is evident in ALA’s democratic electoral process.”
Highlighting the services offered by the association, the ALA noted, “In the last two years, ALA has awarded more than $218,000 to 23 Montana libraries. … Through ALA’s efforts with its members, the Montana State Library has seen an increase of 24% from 2019 to 2023, resulting in $1,428,817 in funds.”
“Despite [Montana’s decision], ALA remains committed to providing essential support, resources, and opportunities for every library and library worker in every state and territory across the nation to help them better serve their communities,” the group concluded.