Image Credit: Children’s Diversity & Justice Library / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
For the past six years, the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (TVUUC) has been the home to their Children’s Diversity and Justice Library which offers some books that have been removed from Knox County Schools (KCS) for failure to meet the standards of the Age Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 which protects children from exposure to overly graphic or sexually explicit books.
According to the library’s website, it provides books and programs that are, “rooted in values of equity and compassion,” which empower, “young people to celebrate diversity and seek justice in their lives and communities.”
They catalogue books into 14 different categories including LGBTQIA, Refugees and Immigrants, Gender, Justice, Bodies and Abilities, and Diversity amongst others.
The library has over 2,000 titles, including a vast number specifically targeted towards transgender and gay ideologies, and in June of last year made a commitment to increase their LGBTQIA and Gender resources.
It also features informational posters like, “How to Talk About Book Bans” and lends out 11 of the 48 titles that were recently removed from KCS.
The removals sparked much controversy as the list contained a few seemingly innocuous titles like Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic.
As no direct reason was given for the removal of this book other than to comply with the state law, such titles could perhaps be viewed as an overreaction or overcorrection in attempting to comply with the law that has been widely panned for being “vague” and difficult to interpret, though the removal of beloved children’s books does seem to nonsensically land on the extreme end of the scale.
The church, which boasts itself as a congregation comprised of members of numerous faiths and religions including Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Pagan, atheist, and agnostic, uses selections from this library in their Religious Exploration programs for children as young as five to encourage, “further exploration engaging mind, body and spirit.” The church also utilizes all different resource texts from these religions to reinforce their beliefs to its general congregation.
The TVUUC follows the Seven Principles of the national Universalist Unitarian Association (UUA) which include, “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations,” and, “working to …dismantle racism and other forms of oppression in ourselves and our institutions.”
And, according to their beliefs page, has been, “On the forefront of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer inclusion for more than 40 years, we are people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.”
Earlier this year the church hosted a “Reading Banned Books with Pride” service, “celebrating our church’s LGBTQIA work and our Children’s Diversity and Justice Library,” and sponsored a booth at the Knoxville Pride festival.
School districts across the state have struggled both internally and with parents to come into compliance with the Appropriate Materials Act, but the law does not apply to private organizations or religious groups.
But the TVUCC is not the only organization to find a loophole in supplying these books to children, one example being “Banned Books Week” which represents a coalition of nonprofit and other private organizations that supply these inappropriate reading materials to children in the name of freedom of expression.
With a “church” that centers its identity around multicultural and multireligious diversity and makes a point to embrace, support, and promote the LGBT community and agenda, a library giving children access to sexually explicit and potentially harmful materials cannot truly be surprising. The real question remains how, or even if, the local community will respond upon receiving the information.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
