Johnny Weir, three-time U.S. national champion in men’s figure skating, two-time Winter Olympian, and current television commentator, posted a video on his Instagram this week to encourage support for Quarryville (Penn.) Library Center, his hometown library. Last year, Fulton and East Drumore Townships in Lancaster County withheld $6,500 from the library over objections to LGBTQ+ content.
In the caption for the September 16 post, Weir writes:
"Please support your local library. My hometown library came under pressure a year ago when two townships pulled their funding because the library included LGBTQ books. Me and my community here stood up and helped them through and it’s that time again where I send my annual check to cover the cost of the withdrawn townships and if you are able, please consider donating to my library or yours!"
Watch Weir's Instagram video below.
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Take action
Alarmed by the escalating attempts to censor books? Here are five steps you can take now to protect the freedom to read.
- Follow news and social media in your community and state to keep apprised of organizations working to censor library or school materials.
- Show up for library workers at school or library board meetings and speak as a library advocate and community stakeholder who supports a parent’s right to restrict reading materials for their own child but not for all
- Help provide a safety net for library professionals as they defend intellectual freedom in their communities by giving to the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.
- Educate friends, neighbors, and family members about censorship and how it harms communities. Share information from Banned Books Week.
- Join the Unite Against Book Bans movement and visit our Fight Censorship page to learn what you can do to defend the freedom to read in your community.
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