Cook Memorial Public Library District Board President Bonnie Quirke was criticized for an old speech in which she accused libraries of promoting "the homosexual agenda," The Daily Herald reported.
Quirke's remarks were uploaded to YouTube in 2010 by an account called NorthernILPatriots. She said the speech, approximately seven minutes long, was made during a conference staged by the Illinois Conservative Union.
"The library abounds with the homosexual agenda, especially in the children's department," Quirke told the audience in the video before zeroing in on the picture book Heather Has Two Mommies.
Quirke's speech was lambasted by more than a dozen district residents, as well as some fellow trustees, during a June 16 meeting that was held remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quirke is also on the board of directors of Lake County Right to Life, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The Daily Herald item is at www.dailyherald.com/news/20200617/library-board-president-blasted-for-comments-decrying-the-homosexual-agenda .