Cromaine library is labeling “LGBTQ books” with pink stickers, The ACLU weighs in
Dismantling libraries is part of this administrationʼs larger agenda of destroying democracy. Everyone should be concerned about censoring access to education and information as it's literally the first step to fascism. Bill Bolin is working with the lawyers from Project 2025ʼs advisory board to bring the plan to reality here locally.
Currently, books are being labeled at Cromaine with pink stickers as “LGBTQ books” More will start being sequestered soon. There's over 220+ books still being challenged with the request of having them removed from the library.
“On Sunday, 6 News reported that a group of activists protested a church in Howell because they claimed the pastor and Cromaine Library President, Bill Bolin, is working to remove books from its library that have LGBTQ content.
Bolin has responded, stating that there is no banning of books, and that the library board members voted to add labels to books that are to be considered sexual or targeting children in a sexual manner.
Back in June, the Cromaine Library voted to adopt a policy that would label books that were found to have extreme violence or graphic sexual content. Jay Kaplan, a LGBTQ+ Rights Project staff attorney at the Michigan American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), says the organization will monitor the new policy. He says the library has no definition of what’s explicit violence or sexual graphic content. “Given some of the statements made by library board members, particularly the president of the board, with LGBTQ subject matter and the fact that. I believe there has been some contention regarding 200 book titles in the library,” said Jay Kaplan. “From a patron of the library. Largely of those books contain LGBTQ characters or content.”
According to the list of challenged books that could be labeled, topics range from parenting information to teen fiction. 6 News went to the library in person and confirmed that some books from the parenting section were already labeled with a pink sticker, which corresponds with LGBTQ+ content.
“We will be watching closely to make sure this is not being used as a tool to censor material or books with subject matter,” said Kaplan. “That certain members of the library board don’t approve of the subject matter, because that’s when you cross over the First Amendment, constitutional territory, and you run the risk of censoring materials.” Full 8/4/25 WLNS article.
We need to take the lessons from this same thing happening in other parts of the state/country and apply them in Hartland. By studying these situations we can help to preserve libraries in our surrounding communities before it’s too late.
Email sagelivco@gmail.com to register for this important discussion today! And SHARE!!