Montgomery County Commissioners Court Puts Politics Above Public Interest

Judge Mark Keough- voted by fellow commissioners to lead the Montgomery County Memorial Public Library System- immediately fires Library Director Rhea Young.

After several years of Montgomery County Memorial Public Library and librarians being subjected to slander, doxing and harassment by politicians and activists calling for the restriction and removal of diverse and inclusive books- especially age relevant children's and young adult books that center LGBTQ+ and BIPOC perspectives- the County Commissioners voted to appoint one of their own- the elected County Judge Mark Keough- as the director of the public library system. Judge Keough proceeded to immediately terminate the employment of Montgomery County's library director- Rhea Young. 

So an elected judge in Montgomery County, TX took over the public library system and immediately fired the library director. Now what?

Supporters of Rhea Young, the librarian recently fired by the Montgomery County elected Judge Mark Keough have issued the following calls to action. 

1. Email the Montgomery County Commissioners and tell them you oppose the firing of Rhea Young. The template is customizable, so be sure to include your own thoughts and feelings, too. 

2. Contribute to this verified GoFundMe in support of Rhea Young. 

3. If you're local to Montgomery County, and a supporter of Rhea Young and the Montgomery County Memorial Public Library System- attend this community forum, hosted by Teresa Kenney of Village Books in the Woodlands, on Tuesday night. RSVP here.

 

How Montgomery County got here

Montgomery County placing partisan politics above the public interests, and appointing an elected official with no known professional library or librarian experience to lead the entire public library system that serves Montgomery County's population of 700,00+ people comes as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. 

Years of attacks on diverse and inclusive stories, viewpoints and perspectives

The new boss of the Montgomery County Library System- elected County Judge Mark Keough- has made no secret of his contempt for books that contain ideas and content he finds objectionable. During the Commissioner's Court meeting in July 2023, he stated, "All these sexual-oriented books ... need to be in the adult section," Keough said. "If you don't put an age on it, we're not really solving any of the issues with the younger kids having access to these materials." 

For context- these are some of the books a Montgomery County mom who calls herself "Two Moms and Some Books" has been fighting to get relocated from the children's section- to the "Parenting Section" that is restricted to patrons under 18 years of age.

Source: https://twomomsandsomebooks.substack.com/p/a-committee-on-policy-is-formed-a

Two Moms' one mom has been calling for the restriction and relocation of books that center affirming and inclusive messages by and about LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people for years. Not only has she been calling for the removal of books containing these kinds of stories and themes from the children's section of the public library- she has demanded that more "conservative" books be added.

Age restricting one viewpoint, while permitting open access to an opposite viewpoint likely amounts to viewpoint discrimination

While we don't object to books with any viewpoints being included in any public library- assuming they meet selection criteria and serve the needs and interests of a local community as determined by qualified, librarian professionals - we do object to removing or restricting age relevant books with specific viewpoints and essentially replacing them with books that promote only a contrary viewpoint. Allowing open access to books with one viewpoint, while placing restrictions on or banning books with another viewpoint seems like viewpoint discrimination which violates the first amendment rights of public library patrons. If those demanding more "conservative books" only want equal access to books, then should "liberal" parents expect that books that center a conservative viewpoint be placed into the same age restricted "Parenting Section" as children's books that depict anti-racism, proud puppies and LGBTQ+ families? 

Advocates for the freedom to read in Montgomery County- like Village Books owner, Teresa Kenney, have been warning for years that the Commissioner's Court's decisions to cave to the demands of the activists calling for the restriction and removal of diverse and inclusive books, will result in the silencing and erasure of people who share the challenged books' perspectives, stories and experiences. 

Reconsideration Policy under review

Last year, the Montgomery County Commissioner's Court voted to remove professional librarians from the majority of reconsideration committees that oversee and make decisions about the outcomes of books challenged by community members- and instead replaced them with five members of the public who serve as politically appointed representatives for each of the county commissioners.

Shortly after that decision, the politically appointed citizens review committee proceeded to recategorize a juvenile non-fiction book, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs, as juvenile fiction. After local and nationwide outcry and protest, the committee's action was reversed, and the book was returned to the correct juvenile non-fiction classification- but the damage any credibility that the citizens review committee may have had was done. The Commissioners Court placed the Reconsideration Policy under revision, yet again.

The most recent move for the Montgomery County Commissioner's Court to appoint Judge Keough to oversee the public library is exactly the kind of politically motivated take over that local advocates have been warning about- and that local activists who oppose the inclusion of age relevant diverse and inclusive stories and perspectives have been fighting for. 

The question is, will the 700,000+ residents of Montgomery County stand for it? 

Make your voice heard. Contact the Montgomery County Commissioners, now. 

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