Public libraries are supposed to be places for communities to gather and learn, with an important focus on being a place for kids to gain access to information. But thanks to a moral panic in the G…

Public libraries are supposed to be places for communities to gather and learn, with an important focus on being a place for kids to gain access to information. But thanks to a moral panic in the GOP about “indoctrination” in libraries, it seems that at least one library has decided to shut its door to children.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/JzspZ

  • herrcaptain
    39·
    6 months ago

    Entering force on July 1, 2024, HB 710 features a definition of obscene materials for minors that critics believe to be broad and, per the library, “ambiguous.”

    “‘Sexual conduct’ means any act of masturbation, homosexuality, sexual intercourse, or physical contact with a person’s clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks or, if such person be a female, the breast,” reads a portion of the bill. The law provides for broad assumptions regarding material that is potentially “obscene” or “harmful to minors” for simply dealing with the subject matter of sexuality or the human body’s biological reproductive functions. Parents or guardians can arbitrarily apply these definitions against libraries accused of “promoting” material that is supposedly harmful to minors. In the law, “promoting” refers to virtually any act of selling, loaning out, and distributing books, DVDs, CDs, or other media types. The law also prohibits live performances that meet the definition of being harmful to minors. It is pretty encompassing.

    Judging by this definition, the Bible should unequivocally be considered harmful to minors. There’s some pretty outright horny stuff in there. I’d say this should be challenged by using it to sue church libraries, but it looks like the bill is directed at schools and public libraries, so I’m guessing they’re exempt by being private organizations.

      • herrcaptain
        17·
        6 months ago

        Thanks for the links! Of course they unbanned it, but it’s at least good to see there are parents/citizens calling out the hypocrisy in the first place. I know they’re fighting an extremely uphill battle in red states.

      • herrcaptain
        2·
        6 months ago

        Now and then they do slip up and overlook these things though. They’re quick to patch it of course, but it gives reasonable people an opportunity to point out the hypocrisy. Not that it matters to them as it’s all about control, but it could help the people who might otherwise agree with laws like this on principle (in a misguided effort to “protect the children”) and might not yet be a lost cause. I know those people are increasingly hard to find, but they’re worth trying to educate before they get sucked into the cult of MAGA and related ideologies.