![]() ![]() There are older echoes from around Tampa Bay, too. Coppola, who has spent more than half his four-decade library career in Palm Harbor, said he was trying "to take the high road" amid the controversy. Palm Harbor Library Director Gene Coppola, 68, was the target of many of Latvala's complaints. ![]() In one post, he wrote that “the vast majority of residents in North (Pinellas) County were opposed to this” and that “Gene is no longer fit to run the Palm Harbor Library.” “I think we are a safe haven for all kinds of people,” he said.Īcross a public meeting, emails and social media posts, Latvala, a Republican elected to the County Commission last fall, took aim at the display and Coppola. The books may not be for everyone, he said, but that’s no reason to put them away. A Pride flag was draped over the endcap, with a smaller trans pride flag on top.Ĭoppola said the display reflected the library’s mission to be community-minded, inclusive and politically neutral. ![]() Twenty-five books about LGBTQ+ characters and topics, designated by publishers as appropriate for kids from toddlers to preteens, sat atop a shelving unit. ĭescribed by Latvala as “massive” and “like a Pride parade,” the display took up a sliver of the library’s children’s wing. "I think I would be remiss in my job if I didn’t have books representing everybody," the library's head of youth services said. Twenty-five books and three DVDs were part of the Pride display before it was taken down. ![]()
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