The Gay Guardian
Date: 2002
Region: North America
Subject: Sexual/Gender Orientation Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Print Journalism
Artist: The Gay Guardian
Confronting Bodies: Ohoopee Regional Library System
Date of Action: September, 2002
Location: Vidalia, Georgia, USA
Description of Artwork: The Gay Guardian began publishing in the late 1990s and by the time of the lawsuit had an estimated readership of 200,000 from southeast and central Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
The Incident: The library system initially allowed The Gay Guardian to be displayed in its lobby, where other free literature from individuals and groups are allowed, the lawsuit said. But the library later barred the publication after receiving complaints about it, the suit said, deciding only to display governmental and library publications and announcements. A librarian told a police officer called to intervene that "this was a religious issue, gays vs. Christians," the suit said.
Results of Incident: American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against the library system on behalf of the newspaper and its editor, Ronald Marcus. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Statesboro which found that the library did have the right to limit what literature was displayed.
Source: www.accessatlanta.com; http://www.nsls.info/articles/detail.aspx?articleID=96
