The president of the American Library Association (ALA) is standing by her “Marxist” views as a backlash grows against the association among Republican lawmakers.
Emily Drabinski, a self-proclaimed “Marxist lesbian,” took over as president of the ALA in July. The ALA is the largest nonprofit trade organization for libraries, recent wielding its influence against efforts to ban sexually explicit content from school libraries and to recommend dozens of LGBT books for minors.
The backlash against Drabinski began over a post she made to social media before taking her spot at the head of the ALA.
“I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of @ALALibrary,” Drabinski wrote in an April 2022 post. “I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity! And my mom is SO PROUD. I love you mom.”
Despite the backlash, she doubled-down in an interview with NBC News published on Monday.
“I was excited to highlight and celebrate two aspects of my identity that are really important to me, and are often under a lot of scrutiny,” Drabinski said, adding that she wanted to be an example for other library employees who shared her identities. “I didn’t anticipate these kinds of targeted attacks being used as a bludgeon against library workers across the country. I really think that is regrettable, and I wish that wasn’t happening right now.”
The Montana State Library Commission became the first state commission to leave the ALA over Drabinski’s comments in July. Montana State Library Commissioner Tamara Hall praised the decision, calling it a “statement” about “what’s right for Montana.”
“We’re pulling out based on the fact that our oath of office for Montana and for the federal government is in direct violation of [Drabinski’s] Marxist opinion,” Hall said at the time.
In addition to Montana, lawmakers in other states – including Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Wyoming – have led calls to separate off from the ALA over concerns about Drabinski’s Marxism and the political agenda of the ALA.