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It seems Barnes & Noble is giving into the societal demands of discrimination these days. Not too long ago, they used to have a fairly decent Gay & Lesbian section. It wasn’t enormous, but it was dedicated section that was marked with with their nice green signs with white writing on it. In the section, they had works of fiction as well as nonfiction - everything from advice to stories. Apparently, corporate homophobia has taken over yet another chain.
Last night, my fiance and I went to our local B&N to look for a few books and walked throughout the entire store several times in an attempt to find the “Gay & Lesbian” section that used to be so clearly marked. We passed green sign after green sign. After 30 minutes of walking in circles, I was getting increasingly irritated so we decided to to track down a worker and ask. Make note that I NEVER ask for direction from floor staff so for me to do so meant that a LOT of frustration was coursing through my veins. After another two trips around the store to find a member of the staff, my knuckles were white and my jaw was clenched. My fiance touched my shoulder and said we should just forget it but now it’s all about the principle. Just when I was about to climb the shelves to get someone’s attention, we found a staff member and I somehow bit back my frustration and asked politely where the much sought after section was. Her reply was “Oh, um, I’ll have to show you because um...” which ended in an incomprehensible mumble. That response made me positive it wasn’t going to end well. We walked through the maze of aisles to keep up with her alarmingly quick rate of speed and when she stopped we looked at her with confused yet cynical eyes. She exhaled deeply and crouched down to point out a tiny white label with black writing on the very bottom shelf that meekly announced we had arrived. Before my fiance could calm me, I blatantly blurted out “You have got to be f***ing kidding me!” Are you ready for this folks?
The “Gay & Lesbian” section was reduced to a single shelf under a big green sign that said "Women's Interests." Yup, apparently the entire LGBT category of books can be classified as “Women’s Interests.” One single damn shelf on the very bottom that was labeled by a tiny white label 2 inches above the floor. A label that cannot even be seen unless you have taken to searching for book categories on your knees. This single tiny bottom shelf was not filled with novels or advice-riddled books by authors who have made sales through B&N in days past. No, no, no, my friends. Instead it was filled only with gay and lesbian erotica. As if the only reason we would ever pick up a book is to satisfy a thirst for lust. Talk about playing into a stereotype!! My first thought was how joyous it must be if a gay male was looking for a work of fiction or gay studies and was lead to the "Women's Interest" section. I can tell you right now that if that lady had pointed out this section under the heading “Men’s Interests” the entire store would have heard my fit of outrage. How in the HELL do stories about gay men fall under “Women’s Interests?” My second thought was how sad it was that we were reduced to a single shelf under an inappropriate heading. B&N was always one of my favorite places, now it appears they have given into the societal demands of bias and discrimination, feeding into the stereotypical folds that we have to fight every day.
In a last ditch effort, we searched for two common LGBT magazines. Sadly, they no longer carry the Advocate and Curve magazine wasn't found despite their claims of it being housed in the women's interest section of the magazine rack. We were able to find magazines about drugs, model trains, bloodletting, and just about every other hobby but no LGBT mags in sight. It’s a sad world when a magazine called “High Times” displaying a cover photo of marijuana and drug paraphernalia is more accepted than the news-filled Advocate.
Now this particular experience occurred in the Oceanside B&N store and in an effort to not falsely rage about B&N, I visited a couple other stores in other cities and contacted some friends in other areas. Apparently, this is happening in many cities and states so it’s obviously a corporate issue and not a single incident.
Barnes & Noble used to be my favorite place to spend time. Due to their now discriminatory practices, they have lost several customers and will lose more over time. Hatred and bias will not win and you can bet that the next letter I’m writing is to the B&N Corporate office.
