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
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.
It was banned in a different state, because it definitely qualifies under these definitions Utah primary schools ban Bible for ‘vulgarity and violence’, but then they had to reverse it because it angered religious extremists Utah district returns Bible to school libraries after reversal of parent-led ban.
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.
Oh they carved out an exception for that.
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.
I get it, but this just hurts kids, not the fascists it needs to hurt.
Republicans banning books hurts kids, with a long term plan of getting even worse.
This is a short term minor ‘hurt’ with a goal of avoiding that long term harm.
Educated kids grow up to vote democrat.
That’s what this is about.
I initially thought this was just a way of protesting the law, but looking at how it was written, I think this was literally their only legal option. I’m not sure how any library can stay open with the laws as written. I don’t think schools can have basically any books, either.
Maybe. If the books are still available then it leaves the opportunity for parents/guardians to get the books for their kids. Which does still suck because I remember going through the library and grabbing every book I wanted. That certainly has contributed to my lifelong love of reading
Still, parents take their kids to library most of the time anyway, so kids can still get the books. Possibly this motivates parents to get more books for their kids to stick it to the GOP. I see this as a viable work around personally
There is no restriction on books that will hurt these people, just as there is no restriction on flying helicopters that hurts me. I am unable to fly helicopters and have little interest in learning.
So, because there would be no minors present, libraries could reasonably start stocking pornography and serving liquor? I’m not saying I want that, kids should be allowed to learn, but it would be a very, very interesting establishment.
I guess they’ll just have to do research on the internet now, good thing there’s no pornography on the internet
Fuck yeah!
