{"id":316189,"date":"2026-05-14T23:11:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/316189\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T23:11:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:11:07","slug":"debate-over-library-outreach-at-fresno-pride-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/316189\/","title":{"rendered":"Debate over library outreach at Fresno Pride continues"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Fresno County Board of Supervisors this week put the kibosh on a request to have library staffers run a booth at a Fresno Pride event, arguing that it\u2019s not inclusive enough.<\/p>\n<p>The board has also approved more than 50 other days, weeks or months of themed observances at the Fresno County Library, many of which focus on a specific demographic, since the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnobee.com\/news\/local\/article311595818.html\">new more-restrictive Policy 80 and Policy 81<\/a> were adopted last summer.<\/p>\n<p>The split board Tuesday <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnobee.com\/news\/local\/article315728277.html\">voted down the request for library presence<\/a> by Fresno Rainbow Pride, which this year marks the 36th <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnorainbowpride.com\/\">celebration with a parade<\/a> that typically passes through the Tower District and continues into a festival at Fresno City College.<\/p>\n<p>Supervisors Garry Bredefeld, Nathan Magsig and Buddy Mendes voted to deny the request to allow staffers to run a 10-by-10 foot booth inside the festival.<\/p>\n<p>Along with blocking the staffers, supervisors voted not to officially observe Pride Month inside the library. But they have no sway over how books are displayed, according to Doug Sloan, the county counsel. Pride Month book displays near entrance doors have been the target of some critics.<\/p>\n<p>Bredefeld said on Tuesday the library staffers should attend community events that \u201creflect a balance and inclusive approach\u201d for the community. He also described Pride and the LGBTQ+ community as \u201ca political ideology and lifestyle movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur libraries belong to all of us. They should be about books, learning and bringing families together,\u201d Bredefeld said during the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>The list of board-approved recognitions includes holidays for multiple religions, ethnic groups and diverse demographics.<\/p>\n<p>Fresno County Librarian Sally Gomez told the board that library staffers go to events they\u2019re invited to and have only ever turned down an invitation because of late notice by the event planners or a lack of library staffing.<\/p>\n<p>The observances approved by the board since the policy was adopted include:<\/p>\n<p>Administrative Professionals DayArab American Heritage MonthAutism Acceptance MonthBraille DayCaribbean American Heritage MonthCeliac Awareness MonthCinco de MayoD-DayDia de los MuertosDisability Pride MonthDrop Everything and Read Day (D.E.A.R.)Earth DayEaster, a Christian holiday<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ehlers-danlos.com\/may-awareness\/\">Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS)<\/a> Awareness MonthEid al-Adha, an Islamic holidayEl Dia de los ninos \/ El dia de los libros, a national literacy effort for children of different linguistic and cultural backgroundsFall\/AutumnFantasy Walk, which promotes reading, walking and audiobooksFather\u2019s DayFlag DayFresno County Reads, which highlights one book and offers activities around itGenre challenge, which highlights book genresGroundhogs DayHalloweenHispanic Heritage MonthHoli, a Hindi festival of color in the springInternational Harry Potter DayIrish American Heritage MonthJewish American Heritage MonthLaw Day, a focus on the rule of lawMoney Smart Week, an education effort around financial literacyMother\u2019s DayNational Children\u2019s Book WeekNational Library WeekNational Pet MonthNational Poetry MonthNational Shakespeare DayNational Teacher DayParkinson\u2019s Awareness MonthPassover, the Jewish holiday seasonPi Day, annually on March 14 in a nod to the mathematical constant, 3.14Pop-Up Prom, an effort to provide dress attire to young people for their promPreservation Week, a celebration of the archivesRamadan, the holiest month in IslamSaint Patrick\u2019s Day, a Catholic holidayStar Wars Day, which is associated with the film franchiseSummer At Your Library: Go Wild for Reading, a celebration of reading around animal-based booksTeacher Appreciation DayValentine\u2019s DayVesak Day, a Buddhist holiday festivalWomen\u2019s Equality DayYom Ha Shoah\/Holocaust Remembrance Day<\/p>\n<p>The library staffers also visit schools throughout the year to encourage reading and inform students about the services available.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a list of several other events the library visited in the past year:<\/p>\n<p>ZooBoo, a Halloween-themed event at Chaffee ZooTrunk or Treat with Fresno PARCS (Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department)The Young Authors\u2019 Faire from Fresno County of EducationOpen house for Stone Soup Fresno, a nonprofit focused on immigrantsYou Matter Day, a community service event in KingsburgSpring Fest at Einstein ParkSummit Hope for the West Fresno Family Resource Center, a nonprofitFresno Grizzlies Community Partner NightBack to School Night at Clovis Farmers MarketBig Sandy Rancheria Annual Pow WowGovaganza Job Fair, which is focused on government and education jobsFamily Day at Fresno Art MuseumSelma Raisin FestivalWomen\u2019s Empowerment FresnoFresno State Library for Print Signup Month, a push for residents to sign up for a library cardArtes Americas Poetry Contest<\/p>\n<p>The supervisors <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/fresnocounty.legistar.com\/View.ashx?M=F&amp;ID=14743849&amp;GUID=DB259F98-321B-409E-A683-5142DFBC4BF2\">gave a blanket approval<\/a> to a number of holidays when they first adopted the policy, which included New Year\u2019s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President\u2019s Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.<\/p>\n<p>Cesar Chavez Day was renamed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnobee.com\/news\/local\/article315157355.html\">Fresno County Farmworker and Agriculture Appreciation Day<\/a> in March after <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnobee.com\/news\/local\/article315101964.html\">revelations about alleged sexual misconduct<\/a> by Chavez, who died in 1993.<\/p>\n<p>        Related Stories from  Fresno Bee<\/p>\n<p>                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnobee.com\/profile\/218116650\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778800267_691_Thaddeus Miller smaller.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" alt=\"Profile Image of Thaddeus Miller\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n                    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                <a class=\"author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnobee.com\/profile\/218116650\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Thaddeus Miller<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Merced Sun-Star<\/p>\n<p>            Reporter Thaddeus Miller has covered cities in the central San Joaquin Valley since 2010, writing about everything from breaking news to government and police accountability. A native of Fresno, he joined The Fresno Bee in 2019 after time in Merced and Los Banos.\n            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Fresno County Board of Supervisors this week put the kibosh on a request to have library staffers&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316190,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-316189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}