Editor,
As a Redwood City resident, I was disappointed to learn that Redwood City Public Library is hosting an event titled “The Transgender Assault on Women and Girls” on June 7.
Editor,
As a Redwood City resident, I was disappointed to learn that Redwood City Public Library is hosting an event titled “The Transgender Assault on Women and Girls” on June 7.
My family loves our library and is grateful for everything it brings to our community. My 8-year-old son even dipped into his fiercely protected allowance fund to become a Junior Friend of the Friends of the Library. Public libraries play an essential role in supporting free expression and the exchange of ideas, including ideas that many people may disagree with. But libraries also have a responsibility to uphold their own values and policies.
The Redwood City Public Library’s meeting room policy states that groups using library facilities may not discriminate against or promote hate toward people based on characteristics including gender identity and expression. The library’s mission emphasizes belonging, equity and inclusion.
My concern is not that this event presents a controversial viewpoint, but that the title itself portrays an entire group of people as a threat. Characterizing transgender people as an “assault” on others goes beyond policy discussion and reinforces fear and hostility toward a community that already faces disproportionate levels of harassment and violence.
During Pride Month, when communities across the country celebrate the dignity and humanity of LGBTQ+ people, our public library should be reaffirming its commitment to belonging for all residents, not creating doubt about whether some members of our community are welcome.
Jessica Shade
Redwood City
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(2) comments
Thanks for your letter and your concern, Ms. Shade, but sometimes, as they say, the truth hurts. Since you’re not fond of the event title, which title would you propose? BTW, you say, “libraries also have a responsibility to uphold their own values and policies.” Their values and policies, not yours. Let’s allow the library to support free expression and the exchange of ideas, including ideas, or titles, you disagree with.
Thrilled that the RC library is committed to supporting free speech! Please attend, you might learn something.
Regardless of the title of the event (I have nothing to do with the organization of this event or the title) the issues to be discussed have nothing to do with "hate" and are incredibly important regarding the rights of women and girls, including:
-males identifying as female being housed in women's prisons in CA, sharing cells with the most vulnerable women. Often these males are sex offenders while the women are there for non violent drug related crimes. One man, Tremaine Carroll, has been charged with raping at least 2 women in prison, while his victims were forced by the court to refer to him as "she"
-Men allowed to use female locker rooms with women and girls based only on "self ID" as female. Look up Stonestown YMCA where after years of a man parading naked for hours in the women's locker room (completely legal under CA law) and yelling at elderly women and girls who confronted him, the Y changed their policy and prohibited "excessive nudity"
-Lesbians who want women only spaces (at least one woman on the panel is a lesbian) are forced to accept men on their dating apps, in their bars and private events.
-Girls are not allowed fairness and safety in sports or privacy in their bathrooms and locker rooms under CA law. Locally a boy played for 3 years on the HMB HS volleyball team, displacing girls from the team and taking playing time, giving one girl a concussion which ended her senior season and breaking another girls' hand. At Woodside High a boy played on the girls' lacrosse team while playing boys' club volleyball AT THE SAME TIME! (Explain that, trans activists!)
-Girls who are "tomboys" and enjoy sports or aren't "girly" and are uncomfortable with their changing bodies at puberty are taught at school that they might really be boys. Parents who object could have CPS called on them (this happened to one of the panelists, Erin Friday, whose daughter is an adult now and no longer believes she is a boy)
The "threats" to women and girls come from the policies, not necessarily individual people who may be experiencing gender dysphoria or fetishes such as Autogynephilia
Should be a great, informative event!
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