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Gay-Pride Exhibit at Anchorage Library Draws Few ComplaintsThe first major gay-pride exhibit at Anchorage, Alaska’s Z. J. Loussac Library under a new library-exhibit policy has ended its two-week run without significant protest. Three years ago, then-Mayor George Wuerch ordered the removal of a gay-pride display, sparking a lawsuit by the Alaska Civil Liberties Union and the adoption by the city assembly of a policy permitting controversial displays as long as they’re not personal, commercial, or disruptive.“Out and Elected in the U.S.A.,” which ran April 18–30, featured 60 poster-sized photos of openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual public officials. Municipal Librarian Art Weeks said in the April 30 Anchorage Daily News that at least a dozen phone callers told him the display was inappropriate, although he disagreed. “This is a social issue of our day on which we don’t all agree,” said Weeks. “A library is a forum for the exchange of ideas, and it’s appropriate in that context.” Smaller versions of the exhibit had been displayed earlier at local high schools without objection. However, when the display drew publicity with its move to the public library, some parents complained about learning of the exhibit only after the fact. Jim Marsh, father of a senior at Dimond High School, told the Daily News that he doesn’t object to homosexuality. “It is not about that,” said Marsh. “It’s about what my rights are as a parent. I believe I have a right to know what my kids are being shown and told about.” Posted April 30, 2004. |
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