Posted October 17, 2024
Recently, an organization called Women’s Declaration International USA (WDI USA) reached out to The Seattle Public Library requesting to rent the Central Library’s Level 1 Auditorium to hold a private meeting in mid-November. The group convened meetings last year in Portland and San Francisco that were met by community protest related to the group’s views about transgender women and women’s rights.
We are sharing more information about this meeting room booking with you, our community, so that you understand our role in providing space for this meeting, and so that you know the steps we are taking to ensure our spaces are safe, welcoming and inclusive.
Please note that there is a distinction between a meeting room booking and a Library event. WDI USA is one of many organizations that have booked use of our spaces this year. The Library does not promote, sponsor, endorse, host or play any role in private meetings beyond providing access to publicly available space.
The Seattle Public Library affirms, values and celebrates transgender and gender-diverse people. The Library strongly believes that conversations about women’s rights should include, not exclude, the voices and concerns of trans women so that such conversations can lead to a positive, safe and inclusive future for all women.
Though the Library allows anyone, including WDI USA, access to use our meeting rooms, this does not mean the Library agrees with all points of view shared within them, just as we do not agree with all points of view reflected in our collection.
We have seen in recent years – at our library and elsewhere – that viewpoints expressed by WDI USA and other groups have led to division, protest and concerns about personal safety for trans people. I, and other Library leaders, are committed to ensuring all communities feel safe and welcome in our spaces and that we are upholding the public’s right to free speech in our designated spaces.
Library leaders recognize that very real tension can exist between these two important goals. We are continuously discussing ways to accommodate both. We believe that seeking and providing more information, more opportunities for dialogue, and more openness, transparency and inclusion is what leads to understanding and acceptance.
WHAT WE ARE DOING TO PREPARE FOR THIS MEETING ROOM BOOKING
- Prioritizing safety: We asked WDI USA meeting organizers to hold their meeting after-hours to minimize potential disruption. This allows the Library to prioritize your safety and the safety of our patrons and community to the best extent possible. Security will be expanded to keep everyone safe.
- Committing to intellectual freedom: WDI USA, like all other external groups, is allowed to book the auditorium for their private use. The Seattle Public Library does not limit speech. We accept meeting room bookings regardless of the booking party’s race, religion, gender identity, ability or disability, sexuality, ideology, or any other personally identifying factor or viewpoint. As required by federal law, and as a taxpayer-funded government agency, our meeting rooms are open to all. This practice also speaks to our commitment to intellectual freedom for all, a core principle of librarianship.
- Committing to transparency: As we can anticipate that some members of the public will have questions about this meeting room booking, the Library is providing information to address anticipated questions.
REVIEWING THE USE OF THE LIBRARY’S PUBLIC MEETING SPACES
Prior to receiving this meeting room booking, the Library began reviewing the use of our publicly available meeting spaces, and that review is ongoing. We are looking at everything from needed upgrades of these spaces to how they are activated with Library programming and other activities.
The goals of this review are to ensure (1) our meeting rooms are designed and activated to the best possible benefit for our community, and (2) we are representing our community’s diversity of perspectives by amplifying the voices and viewpoints of historically excluded people and communities. The Central Library auditorium, as our most prominent public space, is part of this review. This process will take time and will not impact any meetings that are already booked.
The Library will continue to host and facilitate our own programs that encourage healthy, inclusive conversations and positive outcomes. We will also continue to allow community groups to use our spaces for their needs.
If you are part of a community group that is interested in hosting a meeting or a community dialogue in our spaces, please reach out to us with your booking request. These spaces are a valuable resource for many people and organizations in our community. They are for all voices.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What Library resources will be used for this private event?
When an external group rents a Central Library meeting room for a private event, they sign a contract and pay a facilities usage fee.
The contract mandates that groups renting meeting rooms will abide by the Library’s Rules of Conduct and promotional marketing requirements. It also mandates that all security associated with the event will be provided by the Library.
The facilities usage fee includes a rental charge and other costs associated with Library security, A/V technology and assistance, and/or custodial services. When the Seattle Police Department is present for an event, the costs are typically covered by their budget.
Is “hate speech” allowed in the Library?
Hate speech has no legal definition under U.S. law, but is commonly understood as speech intended to disparage, offend, humiliate or incite hatred against a group based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, religion, age, disability or other shared characteristic.
Under existing First Amendment law, the government can only prohibit speech that either directly incites imminent criminal activity or comprises specific threats of violence targeting people or groups. Unless hateful speech does one of these things, that speech is protected by the First Amendment.
The Library is prohibited by local, state and federal law from choosing who gets to use our meeting rooms based on background, ideology, beliefs or affiliations.
Restricting people or groups based on viewpoint would be government censorship and a violation of the First Amendment and the Library’s commitment to intellectual freedom. For more information, please refer to our Intellectual Freedom page.
Tom Fay
Executive Director and Chief Librarian