MY TURN: Putting minors in harm's way
Is the CLN board banning books from our public libraries? No. Books are being challenged all over our state, but a challenge is not a book ban. A challenge occurs when a parent or guardian exercises their right of free speech and petition. A challenge triggers a review, and IF the review committee deems the content meets the legal definition of “harmful for minors,” then according to our state Legislature, the book must be moved to a place in the library where it is no longer being marketed to minors. It is not banned, it is just moved to protect minors.
What makes a book harmful for minors? The American Library Association cites some reasons. Books that encourage racism, dangerous lifestyles, violence or extreme negativity or those having graphic sexual content warrant a challenge. Our Legislature agrees. These guidelines are exactly the same as the ratings placed on films. Most parents would not take a minor to see "Fifty Shades of Grey." Some would, and they can if they want. But minors going to the theater alone or with friends would not be allowed into that movie. It makes sense that the same should be true at the library. If a parent wants their minors to read adult books, they are free to check them out for them.
Free access is important, as some others have said. But whose responsibility is it to protect minors from obscene materials in the minors section? The Legislature has decided that it is the librarian’s responsibility. This makes sense in a public space, where both adults and minors are invited in to find books that entertain and educate them.
As a child, I experienced great joy as I ran to the library unaccompanied. I spent many hours perusing the children’s section for new books from my favorite authors. Thankfully, our public library had nothing in it that would have shocked my sensibilities. Today, sadly, like the man who sits in his car under the viaduct, door open, waiting for an unsuspecting person (child) to come along so he can expose himself, the books that lurk in the minors section of our local (and school) libraries seem to be lying in wait for innocents to pick them up and show them things they have never seen before. There are those in our community that call these books “sex education.” They are not. They are sex manuals, designed to desensitize minors to sexual exploitation and make them vulnerable to sexual abuse. There are those in our community who think all books should be available to minors in the publicly funded libraries (schools and community). However, public schools and libraries and the states that oversee them can put in place reasonable educationally appropriate restrictions based on age. This is just common sense.
The League of Nations adopted the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child in 1924. It defines a child as any person under the age of 18. It states that all people owe children protection from exploitation. In 2000, the International Labor Org called for the elimination of (anything) that is likely to harm the morals of children. Yet children are being exploited and their morals harmed like never before, here and across the world.
Gail Dines, professor emerita of sociology and women’s studies, defines pornography as the public health crisis of the digital age. Studies she cites show that nearly 49% of college males first encounter pornography before age 13.8 (think grade school). This pornography generally includes physical aggression, calling women derogatory names and drug/alcohol use. The result on young people; the normalization of gendered violence, polyamory and same sex relations. Sounds like many of the books available at our local public libraries and schools! Fortunately, Idaho’s Legislature passed 1815-17B “The Children’s School and Library Protection Act” to address sexually explicit materials for minors. To receive a list of books that violate the law, simply email CleanBooks4Kids@ProtonMail.com. This booklist will include excerpts and catalog links. You'll also receive a short document with simple How To steps for the challenge request. You have the power to make these important changes. These aides will give you the tools. So, no, the new CLN board is not banning books. They are protecting minors by moving illegal books out of the minors section into the adult section, as directed by Idaho law.
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Anne Patterson is a resident of Coeur d'Alene.