1. Across the country, school districts are removing books with LGBTQ characters and themes from school libraries.
Now, a high-ranking legislator from North Dakota, Mike Lefor, is proposing the inevitable next step: banning these books from public libraries.
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2. Lefor's bill would prohibit "public libraries from maintaining sexually explicit books."
This includes "visual depictions" of "sexual intercourse." But also "visual depictions" of "sexual identity" and "gender identity."
3. What is a visual depiction of "gender identity"? The bill does not define it.
Oh, and by the way, if a librarian violates this rule, they could face "up to 30 days imprisonment" and a $1500 fine.
5. The bill "that any “individual who believes a public library is maintaining a book in violation… may submit a written request to the public library to remove the book"
The librarian "SHALL COMPLY" within 30 days
There is no provision for the librarian to reject the request
6. Lefor asserted that North Dakota libraries today include books with "disturbing and disgusting" content.
He cited: "Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human"
7. The book was reviewed as "crisp, breezy, effective, & noteworthy in a crowded field for its holistic emphasis on human, emotional aspects of sexuality"
Lefor says "we have to do everything we can to make sure that [Let's Talk about It] doesn't get into the hands of children"
8. Lefor argued that a child's exposure to these kinds of books is associated with "addiction, poor self-esteem, devalued intimacy, increasing divorce rates, unprotected sex."
He did not provide any evidence to back up these claims.
9. This legislation is likely unconstitutional.
The First Amendment protects the right of the public to speak and receive information.
There are a few narrow exceptions, like obscenity, but Lefor's bill is much broader.
10. Nevertheless, Lefor is financially backed by major corporations that claim to support LGBTQ rights:
Johnson & Johnson (@[email protected])
@[email protected]
@[email protected]
@[email protected]
Across the country, school districts are removing books with LGBTQ characters and themes from school libraries. Now, a high-ranking legislator from North Dakota is proposing the inevitable next step: banning these books from public libraries. The legislation
State GOP legislators used to be uniquely whacko, but now the House GOP is similar. So this is worth noting.
Reminds me: do the DeSantis book bans apply to private schools?
@jgordon @juddlegum Not only does it not apply to private schools, it doesn’t apply to *charter* schools.
The laws are mostly aimed at local school boards, which have no jurisdiction over private or charter schools.
11. None of these companies responded to a request for comment.
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Why is the fossil fuel industry funding fascist attacks on the civil rights of Americans?
PoC - voting rights
Women - reproductive rights
Immigrants - asylum rights
LGBTQ - book bans
Teens - black history
To ensure permanent one party rule and end American democracy, the wealthiest people on the planet are buying the votes of bigoted evangelicals.
@juddlegum I’m just gonna leave this link here…
https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/harmful-to-minors
Judd Legum
John Gordon
Peter Butler
Nicole Parsons
5klp471
Ç'thûłhů👾Rants! 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇨🇦