LGBTQ+ rights campaigners have joined a chorus of outrage at a decision by Reform UK not to display trans literature in the children’s sections of Kent libraries.
Steven Pullen, of Swale Pride CIC, claims the ruling by the leadership of Kent County Council (KCC), amounted to “censorship”.
He was referring to The Autistic Trans Guide to Life, one of the books thought to be at the centre of the controversy which erupted yesterday (July 3).
Mr Pullen said the move by KCC leader Linden Kemkaran and her cabinet member Cllr Paul Webb was a “targeted attack on the trans and neurodivergent community”.
KCC maintains “children are not and will not be exposed to adult transgender literature in our libraries”.
Mr Pullen added: “Let’s be clear: this is not about child safety. This is about censorship, misinformation and a targeted attack on the trans and neurodivergent community. Removing this book is not only harmful, it’s dangerous. It sends a message that trans lives and stories don’t belong in public spaces.
“If trans literature can be erased, then LGBTQ+ literature will be next. As founder and director of Swale Pride CIC, I will always stand with our trans community and fight for visibility, education and equality. We need our allies now more than ever. Silence is complicity.
“Everyone deserves to see themselves represented. Trans people deserve dignity, respect and truth. This kind of censorship must be challenged at every level. Our libraries belong to everyone, not just those who fit one narrow view of the world.
“This is more than a trans issue. It’s an attack on freedom, education and human rights.”
Labour leader of Medway Council, Cllr Vince Maple, appeared to back critics of the KCC stance when he posted on Facebook: “Just for clarification- Medway library services are for everyone.”
He said today: “I think if I was the incoming administration, I would have greater things to worry about.”
Green Party councillor Mark Hood said: “I’m getting pretty fed up with the constant game-playing by Reform UK. All we have got is distraction, division and DOGE on constant repetition. I find it quite sickening. The trans community is such an easy target.
“It is such a non-thing to latch onto. This is like a dead cat story designed to distract people from the real issues that affect residents in this county.”
Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Antony Hook said that, as a liberal, he is “against banning books”.
He added: “Information and opinions should be made available, and people can choose what to read and decide what they make of it. I have read many books I disagree with.
“Some books have changed my mind and some have not. This is how we learn, and our minds grow. We risk becoming a narrow-minded society if we limit what individuals choose to read.
“I have written to the professional head of the Kent library service to ask for clarification on what new instructions, if any, have been to library staff.”
A statement from KCC said: “Kent County Council has confirmed that children are not and will not be exposed to adult transgender literature in our libraries.
“Staff at the county’s 99 libraries have been asked to ensure that books are always stocked in age-appropriate categories and that no adult literature makes its way into areas specifically aimed at children, or where children will be selecting books, such as the public welcome displays.
“It follows feedback from a resident who spotted a transgender book aimed at adults in a public display at the entrance of one library in Kent. The book has since been relocated to a section that is unlikely to be visited by children.”
Cabinet member for community and regulatory services, Paul Webb, said “We rightly place child protection and safeguarding at the very top of our list of priorities, as should all adults, especially those that hold public office.”
KCC said the Kent Library Service has confirmed that staff will ensure that only age-appropriate books are being displayed in children’s sections of libraries or areas where children will be selecting books to borrow.
The story broke when Cllr Webb, the member for Sittingbourne south, posted a 30 second clip to say: “I was recently contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans ideological material and books in the children’s section of one of our libraries.
“I looked into it and this was the case. I have issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children’s sections…of our libraries. They do not belong in the children’s section of our libraries.
“Our children do not need to be told they were born in the wrong bodies and from today this will stop.”
Cllr Webb’s position was backed by Cllr Kemkaran who said it was a “victory” for common sense.
