During the meeting, another board member accused Kreutner of censorship, and several board members argued with Kreutner about some of her behaviors while on the board, according to an audio recording of the meeting shared with NBC News. Kreutner’s suggestion to cover certain books with sleeves or move them elsewhere in the library was the topic of a heated library board meeting Tuesday night. Kreutner had previously objected to a summer reading challenge that had encouraged patrons to read books by people of color and LGBTQ authors, according to Neely, McMahon and another person familiar with the matter. McMahon corroborated that she had heard Kruckenberg and other patrons refer to Neely as “the gay man” in what she perceived as a negative way and that Neely had been the target of what she characterized as microaggressions from Kruckenberg.Īnd while he was interim director, Neely said, the secretary and treasurer of the library board, Jennifer Kreutner, suggested the library obscure certain titles - including those covering LGBTQ topics - with book sleeves. Neely also alleged that longtime Vinton resident Brooke Kruckenberg made comments that Neely perceived as homophobic in front of him and her children while at the library. “She said, ‘That’s not what this library is about that’s not what this town is about.’” Colton Neely at the Vinton Public Library. One day, when he was wearing a bow tie, a patron told him to “dress down,” he recalled. All the while, he alleged, he dealt with both subtle and blatant homophobia from a handful of patrons. For months, Neely said, he operated the library from 8 a.m. With McMahon gone, Neely stepped into her shoes until the library’s board of trustees could hire a more permanent replacement. She now leads a public library in Dewitt, Iowa. She resigned in July 2021, after serving just over a year, and moved about an hour and a half away. Preus did not respond to a request for comment.Įventually, McMahon said, the growing fervor in the town made her decide she couldn’t effectively run the library. Vinton now finds itself facing not only a dearth of library services, which many residents depend on, but also larger questions about how welcoming the community is toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. “There’s a small group of people who have caused lots of problems.”
“This in particular has really put a dark cloud over the community,” said Dan Engledow, a 42-year-old gay man who has lived in Vinton all his life. It also marks the arrival of a new battleground in the culture wars: public libraries. With efforts to censor LGBTQ books in many communities across the U.S., along with increased threats targeting Drag Queen Story Hour events, the situation in Vinton appears to be a microcosm of a nationwide trend. Although not representative of the entire community, the controversy has divided it in recent months, racking up national headlines and leaving some LGBTQ residents feeling unsafe and unwelcome. It’s indicative of an undercurrent of homophobia that exists in the town among a small portion of its 5,000 residents, according to more than a dozen current and former Vinton residents.
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