A Pennsylvania library is facing backlash after posting, and then deleting, a graphic on Facebook promoting a transgender poet’s upcoming speaking event.
The Mt. Lebanon Public Library in Pittsburgh advertised a March 12 performance by Rachel Ann Bovier, a well-known Pittsburgh poetess. However, according to Libs of TikTok, the library deleted the post after at least one commenter urged admins to monitor the thread.
“Someone has to moderate these comments please,” that person wrote. “Our LGBTQ+ youth will be reading and shouldn’t see the hate speech.”
Because the post has been removed, it is unclear whether anyone had left comments regarding the library or Bovier. Libs of TikTok said that some users had commented on Bovier’s gender identity, though such posts could not be verified by Inquisitr News as of Saturday morning.
As of publication, Bovier had not publicly addressed the incident on social media. The Mt. Lebanon Public Library still listed the event on its event calendar at publication, though it has not specified why the post was deleted. Inquisitr News has reached out for further comment.
Rachel Ann Bovier is having a moment.
The “people’s poetess” — known for her unorthodox shows that meld poetry, singalong rock music, jokes and personal stories — is the subject of a new documentary by Squirrel Hill filmmaker Brett Yasko. pic.twitter.com/1Ln9y8ZuxD
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (@PittsburghPG) November 27, 2018
One Facebook user criticized the library in a Facebook comment, writing, “Should have left that post up, we can’t let the transphobes win.”
Other social media users, especially on X, called out the library for holding the event in the first place. The controversy arises amid a period of heightened sensitivity regarding public LGBTQ+ events, as social media users point to a recent series of high-profile shootings and incidents involving members of the transgender community. A North Carolina elementary school teacher who identified as a transgender wolf lost their job earlier this month. Parents alleged that the teacher, among other things, wore a dog collar and an animal tail, told students that he turns into a wolf, and asked them to howl like wolves.
The Department of Justice recently confirmed it is investigating an incident from Sunday, Feb. 22, in which an individual — identified by federal sources as a transgender or nonbinary person — is accused of shooting at a Border Patrol agent in Pittsburg, N.H.
That shooting came only days after a transgender male in Rhode Island opened fire on his family before taking his own life during a youth hockey match. The shooter, Robert Dorgan, fatally shot his wife, Rhonda Dorgan, and their adult son, Aidan. A third victim, Rhonda’s father, Gerald Dorgan, died from his injuries this past Wednesday.
You have to shake your head at the typical censor’s line “Our LGBTQ+ youth can’t handle the Truth” (truth is Hate Speech). https://t.co/85cMgv17TZ
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) February 27, 2026
In addition to these violent incidents, the community is navigating a shifting legal landscape. Two transgender residents in Kansas filed a lawsuit earlier this week after a new state law invalidated hundreds of driver’s licenses. The law requires that licenses reflect a driver’s biological sex rather than their gender identity.
In a December 2024 interview with This Awful Awesome Life, Bovier admitted that she was not worried about Donald Trump’s impending return to office. Those comments came roughly a month after Trump defeated then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
“As I’ve stated before, ‘We ain’t going back,’” she said, adding, “For no one, no matter how powerful, shall ever defeat what has proved to be harmless. But those (so-called) powerful leaders should be put on trial for being harmful.’”
