(LifeSiteNews) — The backlash against the saturation of the public square with “pride” propaganda continues — this time in the United Kingdom. In Norfolk, the new Reform administration, which surged from two to 40 seats on the Norfolk County Council in the May 7 elections, put forward a ban on “pride” displays and events at libraries in Norfolk.

According to the BBC, “The new Reform administration at County Hall has informed staff across all 47 libraries not to exhibit any material or stage presentations or events which promote political messaging.”

The council directive did not explicitly refer to LGBT content, but LGBT activists and their allies immediately interpreted the move as an attack on their cultural dominance. “Erasing LGBT+ visibility doesn’t make people equal, it makes people invisible,” South Norfolk Labour MP Ben Goldsborough stated angrily. He demanded that the directive be repealed.

However, senior Reform councilor Scott Hussey stated that the directive came at the behest of families who use the libraries who complained about public spaces being used to promote specific ideologies and emphasized that the directive was intended to establish “genuinely neutral safe space” in public libraries.

“Public buildings funded by Norfolk taxpayers must not be used to advance any political agenda or promote the interests of any campaign group, however well-intentioned,” Hussey told the press. “We have heard from residents who feel that hasn’t always been the case, particularly with regard to materials aimed at children. As such, we welcome the steps Norfolk County Council has taken to ensure its library and museum spaces are inclusive and politically neutral for all visitors.”

Goldsborough, predictably, rejected the concerns of parents outright. “Dressing it up as ‘protecting children’ or ‘family values’ repeats the same tired homophobic tropes that have been used for decades to marginalize LGBT+ people,” he vented on Facebook. “For many young people struggling to understand who they are, seeing a Pride display or finding an LGBT+ book can be the reassurance that they are not alone.”

Goldsborough, who describes himself as an “openly gay member of Parliament,” has essentially affirmed the concerns of families rather than addressed them. Parents who do not want their children introduced to the false idea that they can change sexes; that gender is fluid; that there are many different genders; or that the LGBT lifestyle is desirable are, in his view, “homophobic.” He puts scare quotes around “family values” and “protecting children” for a reason — he wants other people’s children to see materials that promote his ideology and his lifestyle, and he is open about that fact.

Brian Watkins of the Liberal Democrats concurred with Goldsborough, claiming to be “extremely alarmed” by the directive; the eastern regional organizer of Unison Jamie Smith insisted that libraries should be “genuinely open, welcoming and inclusive spaces for all residents, whatever signals councilors are trying to send.” Apparently, libraries cannot just stick to Paddington or Winnie the Pooh or A Secret Garden; they must include books that explicitly talk about homosexuality and transgenderism or they are not “welcoming” or “inclusive.” I wonder what these harridans think of Harry Potter.

The BBC noted ominously that the banning of ideological displays in public libraries appears to be part of a broader trend: “It comes weeks after the party ordered the Progress Pride flag was not to be flown from County Hall, a move that prompted some staff to wear the Pride badge and display rainbows on computer screens.” We can only hope that this is the true. Children should not be exposed to LGBT ideology in public spaces funded by the tax dollars of their parents — because contrary to what Goldsborough believes, “family values” do not include promoting his worldview to kids.

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