Missing

Today I went looking for two new books to read: Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown and Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue. I read about them on the Lesbrary ( lesbrary.wordpress.com ) and thought they sounded pretty interesting, so I went to my town library to find them. I wasn’t surprised to hear that they didn’t have Kissing the Witch, but when I found out they didn’t have Rubyfruit Jungle, I was astonished. Such a classic work of literature, by such a famous author, should be owned by most libraries, especially one that has four extensive floors of books like the one I visited does.

So I went to the bookstore in my town. Before directly asking for the books, I decided to do some investigating on my own. I found Rita Mae Brown, and guess what? They had almost every book by her EXCEPT Rubyfruit Jungle. I would be lying to say I was surprised. More like angry. Because it made me wonder. . .was this book missing on purpose? Were they censoring its content by choosing not to sell it?

Then I wondered if the library was doing the same thing. Despite its inclusion of several lesbian fiction books, it seemed odd to me that it would have Annie on My Mind and Fingersmith, and not Rubyfruit Jungle, a novel by a much more well-known author. Of course, my library also has no DVD of Titanic, so I don’t feel so offended. Maybe it was stolen, or somebody lost it.

But the bookstore is a different story. It’s not the first bookstore that lacks any lesbian fiction. You really have to make an effort to find any, and if you don’t know the titles in the first place, it’s nearly impossible. I don’t know if this is just because it’s not that popular, or because most people self-consciously order online, or if it’s a form of subtle discrimination that’s still lingering in the minds of even the most literature-oriented. But these are books that should not be missing. Especially not from a library shelf.