PRINEVILLE — One by one, they approached the front of the crowded room at the Crook County Library in Prineville, ready to voice an opinion amid a heated community debate over LGBTQ-friendly children’s books.

As the Crook County Library board of trustees considered a proposal to segregate these books Thursday, the tension in the room was clear.

Some people called on the board to remove the books from the children’s section, saying they are inappropriate and should be in a clearly labeled area. Many more, however, described the proposal as discriminatory and called on the board to preserve intellectual freedom.

In the end, the groundswell of support for the books prevailed. The board rejected the proposal, a decision that was met with applause from dozens of people who crowded the room and vouched for Prineville’s LGBTQ community.

“We’re a public library for all people,” said ZuAnne Neal, a former president of the library board.

The board’s 4-1 vote Thursday maintains the status quo at the library, leaving these children’s books interspersed with other books and accessible to anyone.

“Look around, folks. Your community is gay,” said Annie Casey, who identifies as queer. Casey added: “Let young people read.”

The meeting capped off a monthslong debate over the books that has caught widespread attention in Prineville, bringing dozens of people to public meetings at the library. At times, the meetings turned into vile shouting matches.

Local and state officials in the meeting warned board members that segregating the books could cost the library thousands of dollars in resources, its resource sharing agreement with the Deschutes Public Library System and its designation as a public library in Oregon.

Those warnings raised the stakes for the board Thursday. Indeed, some of the concerns voiced during public comment made it feel like the very future of the library, and the community’s rights of free access to information, was on trial.

“This isn’t just about books,” said Jamie Bowman, executive director of Prideville, a group whose mission is to support the LGBTQ community in Prineville. “It’s about setting a precedent and sending a message.”

Mark Maboll, a Prineville resident, put it simply: “If we do this, this library’s going away.”

The board’s vote puts these warnings to rest.

Not everyone in the meeting agreed with the board’s decision. A handful of people asked the board to separate the books so that children from families that don’t support the LGBTQ community can be sure they don’t accidentally pick one up. At least one person Thursday took it further than that.

“These books that include any sexual content whatsoever are deliberately made to hurt children,” said Ben Smith, who said in the public meeting that he is a high school senior in Crook County. “LGBTQ issues are inherently sexual and should not be taught to the kids that don’t have any ability and do not have any maturity about sexual issues.”

He added: “I personally believe that anybody who teaches or exposes young children to any content of a sexual nature without parental consent is committing a crime.”

Crook County Library is the latest in a long line of libraries across the nation facing demands to change its policies and book collections amid an ongoing debate over when and how children should be educated about race and gender.

As pressure mounted to label LGBTQ books and prevent them from being easily accessible to children, Crook County staffers and its director have faced hateful comments and have been targeted on social media in recent months. April Witteveen, the director, is resigning in part because of the toll this debate has taken on her mental health.

Some people publicly apologized to the board members Thursday for the hate they have endured in recent months.

Shannen Brouner, a longtime Prineville resident, said in her public comment that she was stressed, nervous, sick to her stomach and shaking in the days and hours leading up to the meeting. She said she feared that she would be shot for her beliefs.

“If I’m this nervous about just being here today, that’s definitely going to be a big barrier for kids who want to read those books,” she said.

But the support for these books and the right to read them stretched beyond members of the LGBTQ community. The supporters were of all ages, including a child and several elderly men. They included a queer pastor of a Lutheran church and a tall man with the classic look of a ranch hand: flannel, vest, blue jeans and a large belt buckle.

“The old ideas of hate and vilification of the gay community, they’re going away,” said Marcel Potvin, who said his daughters love the children’s section. “The young kids are changing this equation … If the board does segregate these books, then the future looks dark and questionable. But I’m here to say that the future is bright.”