For the third time in less than a month, someone was filmed Sunday morning stealing LGBTQ+ books from the Little Queer Library in Waltham, Massachusetts.
“Came to the book box, grabbed an arm full of books after searching it. He went back to his car and started again,” Krysta Petrie said.
Petrie and Katie Cohen built the library in 2020 and placed it on the lawn of their home.
“We would really like this stuff to stop,” Cohen said.
The couple believe the acts are targeted, in part because of the ongoing debate in the Waltham School District over whether to ban two library books with LGBTQ+ themes.
“There are a lot of people who are getting upset and angry about these queer books being available to the community and their kids,” Petrie said.
The library is meant to help those who need it most.
“LGBT children have a high rate of suicide attempts and mental health issues in general,” Cohen said.
Along with their facade flag, front door and window signage, books are their way of showing support.
“They need to feel like they have someone in their corner,” Cohen said.
They want the man in the video and others like him to hear their message.
“You can’t stop LGBT voices from being heard even if you take a few of our books, so please stop,” Petrie said.
