On Nov. 4, Jefferson County residents voted on whether to renew a tax levy which provides about a third of the funding for the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County. The last time it was on the ballot, the library tax levy passed by a margin of 41 points. The margin this year? Four points.

The vote was telling. Twenty of Jefferson County’s 57 precincts voted against the levy, including the precincts representing much of LaBelle, Pleasant Heights and the North End in Steubenville, as well as the South End of Toronto and numerous townships and villages across the county. And among those who cast their ballots in person on Election Day, a majority of 51 percent voted against the levy.

The vote signals a far cry from library Director Mike Gray’s claim that the library is “a community hub.” On the contrary, thousands of residents believe the library is no longer worthy of our precious property tax dollars.

The near-defeat of the library levy highlights a single issue — we don’t think the library is acting in the best interest of the county. In other words, the public library no longer respects the public will because they continue to allow age-inappropriate political literature in the kids’ sections.

Would you like your 8-year-old to read about oral and anal sex? PLSJC has a book for that — “The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies and Families.” How about why a boy can dress up as a drag queen? They have that title, too — “Julian is a Mermaid.”

What if your 4-year-old realizes they are actually a boy and not a girl named Penelope? The library has you covered — “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.”

For years now, local activists have been petitioning the PLSJC to restrict these explicit books to the adult section and require parental permission for a child to check them out.

Case in point of why age-inappropriate books about sex and gender identity should be moved to the adult section is “The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families.” Let’s do a quick summary.”

Its lexile (recommended reading level) is 8- to 12-year-olds. It’s illustrated and gives detailed images and text about masturbation, types of sex and contraception options. I would quote from it but cannot in a public newspaper.

But, I would recommend pulling it off the shelf to familiarize yourself with the sex literature the library gives our kids. Should an 8-year-old be allowed to check out such a graphic book without parental consent? No, that is a choice for parents to make in the adult section — not for 9-year-olds to make on the reading carpet.

However, the library has doubled down on carrying these books. Currently, dozens of age-inappropriate LGBTQ+ and sex titles line our shelves, totaling at least 186 copies at last count. At least 33 of those titles are on transgenderism and recommended for children under 18. If you search Amazon for some of the titles the PLSJC carries, you’ll find they have almost no reviews, indicating there is zero popular demand for them.

Some are a personal affront to the community of Steubenville, with our strong Christian heritage. “This Day in June” introduces kids to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with illustrations. Is that a new religious order come to town? No, it’s a drag queen organization that mocks the Catholic faith by wearing — and then stripping — Catholic religious habits.

Again, I think these books should be permitted in the library. But the kids’ section?

As a final note, consider the inconsistency of the library’s inadequate actions to address complaints.

The PLSJC moved two political and age-inappropriate books (“Gender Queer: A Memoir” and “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo”) out of the children’s section, and we applauded them for it.

But when we requested the same treatment for similar titles, they went unanswered. When an answer came, it was that the claims were not specific enough to warrant review of the books. Attempts to provide books countering the library’s political agenda were similarly ignored.

In short, the library has failed to live up to the “public” nature of its mission, in the minds of Jefferson County voters. It is no longer a few people showing up at PLSJC board meetings to plead for justice.

It is now thousands of residents of Jefferson County showing they are unwilling to let the library act untethered from public opinion. Nov. 4 should show the library that change is not merely advised but expected. It is what residents of the county deserve. It is what justice demands. The library should be public, not captive for private ideological interests.

(McKenna is a resident of Steubenville and a member of the Committee for Decent Libraries)