Montana breaks ties with national library group over 'Marxist lesbian' president

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The Montana State Library Commission voted Tuesday to withdraw from the American Library Association (ALA) because of its self-described "Marxist lesbian" president.

"Our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist," reads part of the letter the Montana commission voted to send to the ALA.

In a 5-1 vote, with one member abstaining, the commission voted to immediately separate from the national library group, which in April elected a self-described socialist to lead the organization.

Emily Drabinski was elected to lead the ALA in April 2022. In comments to far-left magazine Jacobin ahead of her election, Drabinski described the socialist role she believed libraries should play in American class struggles against the "maldistribution of wealth."

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ALA President Emily Drabinski, a socialist, prompted the Montana State Library Commission to leave the national group. (Getty Images | screenshot Emily Drabinski via YouTube)

Drabinski said that "the way to get people to understand why libraries are important is by engaging people in a struggle for the fair share of the social wage. It isn’t a matter of better advertising. It’s a matter of sort of stronger connections between libraries and our communities and the communities we serve and the shared struggles that we all have because we are all suffering from the maldistribution of wealth."

After her election in April, Drabinski celebrated in a since-deleted tweet that she "just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is president elect of ALA. I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity. And my mom is so proud. I love you mom."

"Marxist ideologies directly oppose our Montana values, which is why I strongly support the Montana State Library Commission removing itself from the ALA," said Elsie Arntzen, commission superintendent of public instruction in Montana, in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

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"Ms. Drabinski is a supporter of Critical Race Theory, which Montana rejected as discriminatory, and other far-left-leaning ideologies that have no place in our schools and libraries," Arntzen added. "Montanans embrace honest and accurate views of history while understanding that our country, at times, has fallen short of its goals. However, common citizens have rallied together to overcome those shortfalls. Our parents are our first teachers, they have an absolute right to determine what is best for their children. By electing a declared Marxist as their President, the ALA has not only turned its back on families, parental rights, and American values – it has turned its back on America itself."

Following the Montana commission's vote, Drabinski tweeted: "That is not the Montana – or Montanans – I know."

Fox News production assistant Aubrie Spady contributed reporting.