Sen. Shelly Short pulls support for Republic library expansion after Pride flag controversy

The public library in Republic, Washington, missed out on a funding opportunity after a group of residents complained about a pride flag and the library board declined to remove it.

State Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, said she pulled her support for a state appropriations request for a new library building until the controversy is resolved.

The intersex-inclusive progress pride flag, which includes a purple circle representing intersex people, hangs vertically over a corner door in the Republic Public Library’s young adult section. The flag is left over from a Pride Month display last June.

While the library building is owned by the city of Republic, it is managed by North Central Washington Libraries, which oversees 30 branches across five mostly rural counties. Republic is a remote mountain town with about 1,000 people about an hour south of the Canadian border.

“Our responsibility as a library district is to make sure all community members feel represented and included,” NCW Executive Director Barbara Walters said.

Other NCW libraries have pride flags, but it has only been controversial in Republic, she said. The board received more comments supporting the flag than against it.

A group of residents calling themselves the Republic Library Changemakers asked the board to write a flag policy to only allow the U.S. and Washington state flags to be displayed at the library. Members of the group could not be reached or declined to comment for this article.

At previous board meetings, members of the group said the pride flag is a political statement and it makes them feel “unsafe” and “unwelcome.”

Because the library district doesn’t own its buildings and by extension their flagpoles, the board on Feb. 20 approved a general display policy rather than a flag policy, Walters said.

Republic Public Library does not have a flagpole, but an American flag prominently hangs from a wall mount on the library’s front porch.

The new policy gives library staff discretion to curate displays that represent the diversity of their communities and recognize marginalized voices. It was informed by the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read and Freedom to View statements.

“Displays are designed to promote intellectual freedom, reflect diverse viewpoints, and foster lifelong learning,” the policy says.

After the board approved the policy, Short announced that she would not support the $772,500 state funding request for the design phase of the library’s expansion project.

“With great reluctance, I have decided not to pursue a capital budget appropriation for the Republic Library for the 2025 legislative session,” Short said in a statement. “I have long been a supporter of strong libraries in our communities. However, a local controversy regarding the year-round display of a ‘Gay Pride’ flag has proven extremely divisive, and until this is resolved, action on our part in Olympia to expand this facility would only deepen local frustration with library management.”

Short said there might have been a way forward if the flag had come down at the end of Pride Month and called the library district to develop a better process for the public to request policy changes. She said she believes the library “can find a way to serve marginalized communities without making a political statement that many patrons find offensive,” and she hopes to reconsider the proposal next year.

The dream to build a new library began with a land donation to the Friends of the Republic Library a few years ago. Since then, the group has spearheaded an ambitious plan to build not only a new library, but also a community center and day care in the same building.

If fully realized, it would cost about $18 million, said Friends member and building committee co-chair Emily Burt. The library alone would be about $6 million. The project has raised about $1 million so far through public and private sources.

For the last couple of years the Friends were successful in landing funding through state Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, a Republic resident. With Maycumber’s leaving the House early this year, the Friends made a new request to Short.

Burt said Short was initially supportive until she heard complaints about the flag.

Burt said it was “disappointing” because the Friends have nothing to do with NCW Libraries policy. Members of the Friends have diverse views about the pride flag, but are united in their goal to build the new facility. They are still committed to moving forward.

The current library has everything cramped into one room. A new library would provide more space for expanding the library’s collections, adding staff rooms, and separating the children’s story time area, maker space and computer lab.

Burt said there is no licensed child care facility in the county or within an hour’s drive of Republic. The lack of child care limits an already limited local workforce, she said. The town also lacks a large community meeting space, so the meeting room could be used for many purposes.

“We want to provide for this community what most of America has already,” Burt said.

Republic Mayor Gabe Becklin said the city is neutral about the flag issue, but is fully supportive of the new building project.

“I hope the hubbub doesn’t hold up the new library progress,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell visited the library in August and has requested $2.8 million in rural development appropriations from Congress for fiscal year 2025.

Members of the Ferry County Gay-Straight Alliance traveled to the NCW Libraries board meeting in Wenatchee last Thursday to speak in support of the Republic library.

The gay-straight alliance had nothing to do with adding the flag to the library, but the group was formed in direct response to the Changemakers’ hateful comments against the gay community, alliance member Crystal Strong said.

“From our perspective it is not just about the flag, it is about human rights and visibility in our community,” Strong said.

The library is one of the few safe spaces for everyone, she said.

Strong has lived in Republic with her wife for 20 years. It is generally a welcoming community with a focus on tourism, she said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the full names of Barbara Walters and Crystal Strong on first references.