As Foster's plays fast, loose with facts, city councilor urges public to weigh in

From left, City Councilor Dana Berllin, a page showing some disturbing images from 'Gender Queer: A Memoir' and City Councilor Jim Gray. (Berlin, book images/Courtesy; Gray/Rochester Voice file photo)

ROCHESTER - Here's what's true.
City Councilor Jim Gray was roundly criticized and mocked on Tuesday for asking the City Manager last month to interview the city's librarian about the controversial Young Adult graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir, which includes cartoon images showing teens engaging in oral sex.
Here's what's not true.
Gray wanted to ban the books, as a Foster's article disingenuously represented in several articles since Gray made the request during a City Council workshop Aug. 16.
On Thursday Gray lamented the fact that with his agenda item eliminated by a 12-1 vote, councilors never got to hear back from City Manager Blaine Cox or any library staff.
The vote to cancel Gray's agenda item was made after a 23-minute nonmeeting during which City Attorney Terence O'Rourke likely apprised council of Robert's Rules section 2.9, which allows the agenda to be amended with a two-third vote.
The word "likely" is used since nonmeetings allow no public access and require no minutes. It is not a public meeting. It is a secret meeting allowed by New Hampshire statute.
Making the motion to strike Gray's agenda item was City Councilor Dana Berlin, who said Gray's agenda item "has the strong appearance of targeting a very specific class."
Berlin told The Rochester Voice on Thursday the class he was referring to was the LGBTQ community. He also said hearing the agenda item, which would have included Cox' report from the librarian, would have been a detriment to the people of Rochester and the City Council.
City Councilor Ashley Desrocher, who seconded Berlin's motion, said having the conversation would be harmful in itself.
Desrocher was unavailable to respond to The Voice's questions on Thursday.
Gray reiterated on Thursday that he only asked Cox to speak with the librarian and/or library trustees and have a review of policies or ordinances regarding books at the library.
He expressed his disappointment with the Foster's articles that continued this week saying he wanted to ban books, even though in two recorded City Council meetings (that anyone can watch on the city website) and in interviews with The Voice the word "ban" is never uttered.
Whether or not Rochester's City Charter weighs in on this subject, however, is a subject for debate.
One section of the City Charter that seeks to regulate murals says they can be approved as long as:
"The mural contains no defamation, incitement, obscenity, illegal content, or images of child pornography. Obscene matter is that which the average resident of the City, applying community standards, would find, taken as a whole, appeals to a prurient interest and lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value."
In another section of the city charter it seeks to regulate immorality and indecency at city departments or parks.
"Immorality and indecency. No person shall do any obscene or indecent act at any Department facility or in any park; or display, expose or distribute any picture, banner, or other object suggestive of sex in a lewd, indecent, immoral way; nor shall any person dress or undress at any Department facility or in an any park except in dressing rooms provided for such persons."
Gray said after Tuesday's meeting, the librarian told him Gender Queer was only available in the Adult section, while on Wednesday a librarian told The Rochester Voice it was available in the Young Adult section.
Gray feels that the City Council is, in fact, a legitimate body to weigh in on this subject, since they hold the purse strings to the library and appoint library trustees.
"We need the citizens of Rochester to come in and look at the book," he said.

Go to the council's discussion of the removal of Gray's agenda item and his response by clicking here.