Idaho librarian June Meissner was closing up for the day at the downtown Boise Public Library when a man approached her asking for help.

As an information services librarian, answering patrons91裸聊视频� questions is part of Meissner91裸聊视频檚 day-to-day work, and serving the community is one of her favorite parts of the job.

But when the man got close enough, 91裸聊视频渉e took a swing at me and tried to punch me in the head,91裸聊视频� said Meissner, a transgender woman. 91裸聊视频淚 blocked it and he started yelling slurs and suggesting that he was going to come back and kill me.91裸聊视频�

Worldwide Pride Month events are well underway to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights. But it is coming at a time when people who identify as LGBTQ+ say they are facing increasing difficulties at work, ranging from being repeatedly misgendered to physically assaulted.

Gender nonconforming library workers in particular, like Meissner, are also grappling with growing calls for book bans across the U.S., with books about gender identity, sexual orientation and race topping the list of most criticized titles and making the attacks all the more personal.

91裸聊视频淲hen we see attacks on those books, we have to understand that those are attacks on those kinds of people as well,91裸聊视频� said Emily Drabinski, who is the president of the American Library Association and is gay. 91裸聊视频淭o have my identity weaponized against libraries and library workers, the people and institutions I care about the most, has made it a difficult and painful year.91裸聊视频�

The ALA said it documented the highest-ever number of titles targeted for censorship in 2023 in more than 20 years of tracking 91裸聊视频� 4,240. That total surpassed 202291裸聊视频檚 previous record by 65%, with Maia Kobabe91裸聊视频檚 coming-of-age story 91裸聊视频淕ender Queer91裸聊视频� topping the list for most criticized library book for the third straight year.

Lawmakers are increasingly considering lawsuits, fines, and even imprisonment for distributing books some regard as inappropriate, including in Meissner91裸聊视频檚 home state of Idaho. Lawmakers there passed legislation that empowers local prosecutors to bring charges against public and school libraries if they don91裸聊视频檛 keep 91裸聊视频渉armful91裸聊视频� materials away from children. The new law, signed by Idaho Gov. Brad Little in April, will go into effect on July 1.

91裸聊视频淚 do think that a lot of that political speech around it does make things more dangerous and worse for me,91裸聊视频� Meissner said. 91裸聊视频淚t is so much politicking and getting the general public riled up.91裸聊视频�

Meissner91裸聊视频檚 own attacker was arrested and convicted, and she says that while the vast majority of her interactions at work are positive, she still struggles to let her guard down and is constantly assessing whether a situation could turn unsafe.

91裸聊视频淎s somebody who is working face to face with the public and trying to help people as much as possible, that really does get in the way,91裸聊视频� she told The Associated Press, describing how she waits to make eye contact with a patron 91裸聊视频渁nd then, based on what I see when they look at me, that91裸聊视频檒l tell me whether or not I should just be on edge, be wary.91裸聊视频�

Florida-based conservative nonprofit Moms for Liberty, which describes itself as a parental rights organization and refers to its members as 91裸聊视频渏oyful warriors,91裸聊视频� has been at the forefront of a nationwide push to remove books that deal with race and gender identity.

But co-founder Tiffany Justice says the organization 91裸聊视频� which she says has more than 300 chapters in 48 states and more than 130,000 active members 91裸聊视频� is not anti-LGBTQ+, although Justice herself told the AP she thinks that the Q in the acronym, which stands for queer or questioning, 91裸聊视频渘eeds to go into the trash bin.91裸聊视频� And according to the ALA91裸聊视频檚 Office for Intellectual Freedom, about 38% of book challenges that 91裸聊视频渄irectly originated91裸聊视频� from Moms for Liberty activity have LGBTQ+ themes.

Justice said Moms for Liberty challenges books like Gender Queer 91裸聊视频� a graphic novel about a young person91裸聊视频檚 struggle with gender identity that contains illustrations of sexual contact, masturbation and a sex toy 91裸聊视频� because they view the material as sexually explicit, not because they cover LGBTQ+ topics.

91裸聊视频淭he least interesting thing about a child should be their sexual orientation,91裸聊视频� Justice said. 91裸聊视频淲hy are we flooding them with sexual content?91裸聊视频�

Despite the thousands of petitions to censor books about gender and sex, legal standards for deeming materials obscene or harmful to minors 91裸聊视频� and therefore not protected speech under the First Amendment 91裸聊视频� are very specific and high, and courts have historically sided with libraries, according to Vera Eidelman, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who focuses on rights to free speech in the digital age.

91裸聊视频淭he mere fact that something is describing sex, describing nudity, even depicting those things, is not enough to make it qualify as obscenity,91裸聊视频� she said.

Regardless, the book banning movement has in many cases successfully restricted access to materials in which LGBTQ+ youth can see themselves depicted.

As of June 1, Louisiana libraries must allow parents or guardians to decide which books their child can check out. M91裸聊视频檌ssa Fleming, a public librarian in New Orleans who uses they/them pronouns, says the new law could make it even more dangerous for queer and trans kids, who are already at higher risk of being victims of violence, substance use, and suicide than their straight, cisgender peers. And losing access to LGBTQ+ themed books may cause kids to turn to less reliable sources like Reddit.

91裸聊视频淧ublic libraries could be offering as many ways as possible to make it less dangerous to learn about yourself, and the law just added another challenge,91裸聊视频� Fleming said.

Chaz Carey, a children91裸聊视频檚 librarian in Worthington, Ohio, knows firsthand how powerful books can be. Alison Bechdel91裸聊视频檚 2006 graphic memoir 91裸聊视频淔un Home,91裸聊视频� in which the author comes to grips with her sexual orientation, changed Carey91裸聊视频檚 life as a teenager.

91裸聊视频淚 felt seen. It was like my whole body just let out a breath,91裸聊视频� said Carey, who is queer and uses they/them pronouns. 91裸聊视频淚t is just so important that these books remain on shelves. They save lives.91裸聊视频�

Carey says being a children91裸聊视频檚 librarian is a dream job, but the rise in book challenges and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric takes a mental toll. They are frequently misgendered at work, including by some patrons who go out of their way to do so while airing their political beliefs.

91裸聊视频淭he political environment is just an extra kind of weight as we navigate our lives and our places in our community,91裸聊视频� said Carey, who chairs ALA91裸聊视频檚 Rainbow Roundtable, which aims to serve the information needs of LGBTQ+ people.

For Carey, what helps is 91裸聊视频渢aking some time to feel sad, but then choosing queer joy and pride.91裸聊视频�

Claire Savage, The Associated Press