How Libraries Can Create a Safe Environment for Nonbinary/Transgender People to Increase Their Health Literacy – Theresa’s Library Adventures (2024)

I had the privilege to attend the California Library Association Conference this past June through a library support staff scholarship. One of the sessions was on Drag Queen Story Hour, and how a disturbance during a story hour at the San Lorenzo Library in the San Francisco East Bay was dealt with (Wallace, 2022). Drag Queen story hours have chapters in 27 states and 7 countries and consist of someone in drag reading to children at a library (Drag Story Hour, n.d.). In June 2022, the San Lorenzo Library was holding a Drag Queen Story Hour when five members of The Proud Boys showed up and began harassing the organizer with hom*ophobic and transphobic slurs. The Proud Boys are a hate group according to the SPLC. At the conference session, I heard about the incident and subsequent sheriff’s response. It made me sad that this type of harassment occurs even in the “progressive” Bay Area. Although drag performers aren’t necessarily transgender, it still showed me how sexual and gender minorities have to be careful with their safety in public.

So, how does this relate to health seeking information of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGN) people? I will break this down into two distinct types of libraries: public libraries and academic libraries.

Searching for transgender programming at public libraries showed a dearth of meetings/calendar events. The Drag Queen Story Hour seems to be the only activity that is a relatively common queer program. By holding Drag Queen Story Hour, it does help to indicate to sexual and gender minorities that the library is a safe space for them. An ALA article “Serving the Transgender Community” states a few different ways to make transgender patrons and library workers more comfortable. (Smith, 2020) First is to allow chosen (in addition/conjunction with legal) names on library card applications. Legal name changes can be a lengthy process. Legal name changes may not be feasible for some nonbinary/transgender people, especially those that are not “out” in all aspects of their lives. Another way to welcome TGN people is to normalize the use of pronouns on name badges. Doing so is an indicator that some thought has gone into the practice, and trans people may be more likely to be comfortable sharing their own pronouns, which can be a very gender-affirming thing. The third area in which public libraries can create a safe space for non-binary people specifically is to have gender neutral bathrooms. This may prove to be difficult in terms of funding to renovate old buildings, but would be very beneficial if taken into consideration for the design process of new libraries. The final area where public libraries can assist nonbinary/transgender patrons is with collection management. My library happens to have 4 books related to transgender health, but it is in San Mateo County, right south of San Francisco.

Academic libraries are in a unique position to be assisting the young adult population. In a Pew research poll, about 5% of young adults in the country said their gender is different from their sex assigned at birth (Brown, 2022). Academic libraries don’t have to concentrate so much on bridging the digital divide with their patrons, but should definitely concentrate on collection management. “University librarians are thought to have more leeway with their collections but they also risk protests from students, faculty, alumni, administrators, and community members.” (Blackburn & Farooq, 2020) One example of a way to do this is how the University of North Texas did. “The University of North Texas Libraries has become a known repository for LGBTQ+ studies through its collections and trained personnel. In addition to striving to be the LGBTQ+ history archive of the South, the Libraries’ are well positioned to provide effective informational resources trans people seek.” They did a needs assessment, spent money towards collection management, and created a list of online resources for LGBTQ students to utilize.

Three schools of modern instructional thought have born out over the last century. First, behaviorism came about through Pavlov and Skinner and brought classical and operant conditioning. Behaviorists believe that learning has occurred when a desired behavior produces a desired response. They don’t take cognition into account.(Booth, 2010) Cognitivists such as Piaget posit that learning occurs when the individual is ready to learn, which occurs at different stages in life as people grow. Finally, constructivists brought in the concept of social learning. Learning is not just an if-then problem that exists in a vacuum. It is an active process in which learners solve problems related to their everyday life.(Booth, 2010) It is this theory in which nonbinary/transgender health information seekers fall under. They need safety in order to research, learn, and process information. Libraries can assist TGN people with programming that relates to their health, possibly including clinics on transitioning (socially and medically) and on safer sex practices. Although there is risk of negative feedback from the public, these types of programs could really benefit TGN people, especially teens and young adults.

Blackburn, H., & Farooq, O. (2020). LGBTQIA-R: Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Medical Collection at a Public Metropolitan University. Collection Management, 45(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2019.1597799