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 patrons含羞草研究社� questions is part of Meissner含羞草研究社檚 day-to-day work, and serving the community is one of her favorite parts of the job.

But when the man got close enough, 含羞草研究社渉e took a swing at me and tried to punch me in the head,含羞草研究社� said Meissner, a transgender woman. 含羞草研究社淚 blocked it and he started yelling slurs and suggesting that he was going to come back and kill me.含羞草研究社�

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.

含羞草研究社淲hen we see attacks on those books, we have to understand that those are attacks on those kinds of people as well,含羞草研究社� said Emily Drabinski, who is the president of the American Library Association and is gay. 含羞草研究社淭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.含羞草研究社�

The ALA said it documented the highest-ever number of titles targeted for censorship in 2023 in more than 20 years of tracking 含羞草研究社� 4,240. That total surpassed 2022含羞草研究社檚 previous record by 65%, with Maia Kobabe含羞草研究社檚 coming-of-age story 含羞草研究社淕ender Queer含羞草研究社� 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 Meissner含羞草研究社檚 home state of Idaho. Lawmakers there passed legislation that empowers local prosecutors to bring charges against public and school libraries if they don含羞草研究社檛 keep 含羞草研究社渉armful含羞草研究社� materials away from children. The new law, signed by Idaho Gov. Brad Little in April, will go into effect on July 1.

含羞草研究社淚 do think that a lot of that political speech around it does make things more dangerous and worse for me,含羞草研究社� Meissner said. 含羞草研究社淚t is so much politicking and getting the general public riled up.含羞草研究社�

Meissner含羞草研究社檚 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.

含羞草研究社淎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,含羞草研究社� she told The Associated Press, describing how she waits to make eye contact with a patron 含羞草研究社渁nd then, based on what I see when they look at me, that含羞草研究社檒l tell me whether or not I should just be on edge, be wary.含羞草研究社�

Florida-based conservative nonprofit Moms for Liberty, which describes itself as a parental rights organization and refers to its members as 含羞草研究社渏oyful warriors,含羞草研究社� 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 含羞草研究社� which she says has more than 300 chapters in 48 states and more than 130,000 active members 含羞草研究社� is not anti-LGBTQ+, although Justice herself told the AP she thinks that the Q in the acronym, which stands for queer or questioning, 含羞草研究社渘eeds to go into the trash bin.含羞草研究社� And according to the ALA含羞草研究社檚 Office for Intellectual Freedom, about 38% of book challenges that 含羞草研究社渄irectly originated含羞草研究社� from Moms for Liberty activity have LGBTQ+ themes.

Justice said Moms for Liberty challenges books like Gender Queer 含羞草研究社� a graphic novel about a young person含羞草研究社檚 struggle with gender identity that contains illustrations of sexual contact, masturbation and a sex toy 含羞草研究社� because they view the material as sexually explicit, not because they cover LGBTQ+ topics.

含羞草研究社淭he least interesting thing about a child should be their sexual orientation,含羞草研究社� Justice said. 含羞草研究社淲hy are we flooding them with sexual content?含羞草研究社�

Despite the thousands of petitions to censor books about gender and sex, legal standards for deeming materials obscene or harmful to minors 含羞草研究社� and therefore not protected speech under the First Amendment 含羞草研究社� 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.

含羞草研究社淭he mere fact that something is describing sex, describing nudity, even depicting those things, is not enough to make it qualify as obscenity,含羞草研究社� 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. M含羞草研究社檌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.

含羞草研究社淧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,含羞草研究社� Fleming said.

Chaz Carey, a children含羞草研究社檚 librarian in Worthington, Ohio, knows firsthand how powerful books can be. Alison Bechdel含羞草研究社檚 2006 graphic memoir 含羞草研究社淔un Home,含羞草研究社� in which the author comes to grips with her sexual orientation, changed Carey含羞草研究社檚 life as a teenager.

含羞草研究社淚 felt seen. It was like my whole body just let out a breath,含羞草研究社� said Carey, who is queer and uses they/them pronouns. 含羞草研究社淚t is just so important that these books remain on shelves. They save lives.含羞草研究社�

Carey says being a children含羞草研究社檚 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.

含羞草研究社淭he political environment is just an extra kind of weight as we navigate our lives and our places in our community,含羞草研究社� said Carey, who chairs ALA含羞草研究社檚 Rainbow Roundtable, which aims to serve the information needs of LGBTQ+ people.

For Carey, what helps is 含羞草研究社渢aking some time to feel sad, but then choosing queer joy and pride.含羞草研究社�

Claire Savage, The Associated Press