Glasgow City chambers forced to close after protest
The group had planned to stage a 'read-in' inside the chambers but were blocked by security, with the building being closed 'until the end of the day'.
Protesters blocked one of the entrances with flags and banners that read 'Trans Kids Deserve Better' and 'Save Our Libraries," as the group vowed to fight to defend safe spaces for transgender children.
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Imogen, the protest organiser, said: 'I always found my school library as a safe haven.
'It's where I found my identity. My school librarian helped me so much with that. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for her.'
They added: 'Having that space to go read, just to be quiet and have a moment to yourself, outside of the bullying and the harassment, which we face constantly, it's really nice to sort of have that place.'
(Image: NQ)
A council-approved review of library services in February 2024 targeted savings of £100,000, which included proposals to remove librarians from every Glasgow secondary school.
In June, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland wrote to Glasgow City Council expressing "significant concerns" over the local authority's plans to 'de-professionalise a vital service'.
TKDB staged a sit-in at the city chambers last month to demand a conversation with Aitken over the proposals, as they claim she hasn't responded to their request.
SNP councillor Graham Campbell, who spoke to activists outside the chambers, said he expected the local authority to 'hear what their big asks are' and to give a reply.
He added: 'Trans kids are the most pressured kids in the country, so therefore, it's our duty to protect them and to hear their voices when they're advocating for themselves.'
In April, the Supreme Court ruled that women are defined by biology in a landmark judgment, which dealt a blow to transgender campaigners.
The UK's highest court rejected the Scottish Government's arguments that the category of 'woman' included both biological females and biological males who held a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
Campbell said following the Supreme Court's ruling he wants to make sure all spaces are safe for trans kids and not just libraries.
He said: 'I want to make sure that all of the spaces that we have are safe. Now, that's a hard thing to do, and I am aware of that.
'Obviously, there's been a lot of controversy because of the reactionary Supreme Court judgement.
'In my view, if it were up to me, I would utterly defy all of their rulings, because I don't think that their rulings are lawful.
'If it were up to me, I would say the council should make no changes whatsoever in respect of that judgement and keep to what we already have, which is inclusive integrated spaces, we should defend that.'
'If it were up to me, I'd be prepared to defend that court, but I'm not in charge. But I think that should be our sense.'
Imogen said the campaign group wanted to speak with Aitken about the effect the council's proposals to cut funding to libraries will have on trans children.
'We want to tell her that cutting funding for school librarians is having an effect on all trans people,' they said.
'We use those as safe spaces. It's where we find out our identity, where we learn about our history, our heritage, and taking that away from us is just going to cause us more bullying, more harassment for us in our community.'
A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: "Glasgow Life is currently consulting on the proposed redesign of Glasgow's Secondary School Library Service. The proposal, which is being discussed with affected colleagues and trade unions, includes a target saving of £100,000. This would be achieved through a revised staffing model and a reduction in the materials fund, which supports books and resource purchases.
'Glasgow has consistently invested more in school collections than many other Scottish local authorities. Under the proposed model, the average spend on resources per secondary school pupil would remain above the national average.'
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