SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark.(KNWA/KFTA) — Currently, kids cannot check out 11 books from the Siloam Springs Public Library.

During a Siloam Springs Board of Directors meeting in late February, Derrek Arce expressed his concerns with books he found at the library while visiting with his children. During the public input portion of the meeting, he took to the stand to say there were books in the children’s section of the library “encouraging a deviant sexual lifestyle for children, as well as incredible self-harm.”

Some of the novels included, “This Book is Gay”, “The ABC’s of LGBTQ+” and “Queer There and Everywhere”. Arce demanded they be removed from the library’s collection.

“If you will not address these issues, the cancer that is destroying the American family will continue to wreak havoc on our community,” said Arce in the meeting.

The former City Administrator, Phillip Patterson, said the books were checked out under Arce’s name, keeping them out of kids’ hands.

Patterson asked for the books to be returned, so he and the library staff could review them. In doing so, Patterson checked them out himself, further preventing the books from being returned to the shelves.

Patterson said he asked the library to draft up a review process based on the removal suggestions in Senate Bill 81.

SB81 failed in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 7, but was placed back on the agenda for Thursday, March 9. SB81 seeks to hold library staff criminally liable for “knowingly” giving out obscene materials to minors.

“It’s not law, but I think it’s an equitable process to go through and until we put that in place, I’m going to keep those books checked out in my name,” said Patterson in the next city board of directors meeting on Tuesday, March 7.

At the March 7 board meeting, not all parents were pleased with Patterson for keeping the books off the public library’s shelves. One resident said the former city administrator had stepped out of line, and the decision to remove the books from circulation should solely be up to the library.

Another Siloam Springs parent, Stacy Bingham, also spoke up against the removal of the books.

“I feel that pulling certain books that pertain to this one very specific community is sending the message that we are not an inclusive community and that bothers me because Siloam is very much an inclusive community,” said Bingham in an interview with KNWA/FOX24.

At the end of the March 7 city board meeting, Patterson was terminated as city administrator. There was no mention of the books during his termination, and the city said the books are currently still checked out under his name.

You can read more about the termination here.

A spokesperson with Siloam Springs said the library continues to craft a review process to remove questionable books.