COLUMN: ENE is releasing library Discord chat records from teen LGBTQ book club

The Enid News & Eagle has received the Discord chat records from the Homosapiens United Book Club of the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County.

The records originally were requested from the city of Enid under the Open Records Act by a local resident, and the News & Eagle requested those same records.

The library Discord social media group became a point of contention in November 2022 when allegations were made of “inappropriate use of social media,” particularly the Discord chats for the Homosapiens United Book Club. Concerns were expressed that the Discord chat was “private” and that parental consent wasn’t obtained for underage minors to participate in the chat.

To be clear, these chats are not private emails between adults and teens, as some have portrayed them. They are more like social media threads among a private group that is involved together in a book club. As a group identifying as LGBTQ individuals, many of the books they are reading and discussing have LGBTQ themes.

At the November 2022 meeting, the local library board decided to disband Discord and suspend some of the library’s social media use and recommended a law enforcement investigation.

In December 2022, the city of Enid issued a statement that Enid Police Department found no evidence of criminal conduct, though the release states the city of Enid acknowledges “certain actions were taken” that do not fit the library’s mission, including “online discussions with minors without parental consent on matters outside the core mission of the library.”

The Discord records released by the city of Enid show four different club chats — Homosapiens United Book Club, Teen Anime, Teen General and Role Playing/Gaming.

The News & Eagle is publishing online PDFs of the Homosapiens United Discord Chat records as well as the Enid Police Department investigation report regarding all the Discord chats. We are releasing the records in their entirety.

In the Discord chat, some names and screen identifications are redacted. Those names that are visible belong to the adult librarians participating in the chat. The News & Eagle also has redacted a few additional potential identifying markers in the chat in order to further protect the identity of the minors involved in the chat.

We invite readers to review these documents for themselves. They are available on our website at https://www.enidnews.com/.

Allen is publisher and editor of the Enid News & Eagle.