‘These problems aren’t going away’: Alabama anti-censorship group urges action in library culture war

Opponents of Alabama’s efforts to censor books in public libraries, criminalize librarians or remove library board members should organize and not be afraid to attend library board and city council meetings and speak out with lawmakers, said speakers at a town hall meeting Tuesday focused on pushing back on policies that curtail operations at public libraries.

The urgent plea comes as the culture wars over libraries and book bans continue to rage on for a year in Alabama censorship of books and Republican leaders have played a prominent role in overseeing the state library serviceand where a showdown is expected next year over legislation that could lead to the criminalization of librarians.

It also comes at a time of deep division between groups like Clean Up Alabama, which claims libraries are filled with inappropriate content for children; and Read Freely Alabama, which claims that the entire objection to family-friendly libraries is a ruse aimed at eliminating content they find objectionable.

“These problems are not going away,” said Anne Johnson, chair of the Fairhope Library Board. “They can accelerate in the coming years.”

Criminalizing librarians

The urgent call comes as the anti-censorship nonprofit Read Freely Alabama prepares strategies to combat legislation in the spring that could put libraries on par with adult bookstores when it comes to enforcing obscenity laws.

Below HB4The same obscenity laws that apply to stores selling XXX-rated content would also extend to public and K-12 libraries and would require librarians to remove material if challenged by someone who considers a book obscene or harmful to minors.

The legislation also applies to activities within the library that expose a minor to someone “dressed in sexually revealing, exaggerated or provocative clothing or costumes,” or who undresses and engages in obscene dancing. If passed, the bill would criminalize Drag Queen Story Hour events that have previously taken place in Alabama.

Angie Hayden, co-founder of Read Freely Alabama and a woman from Prattville, where the culture war over libraries is now part of a federal lawsuit, called HB4 a “terrifying bill” being pushed by “extremists” who are not getting pushback from the public .

“Most people don’t have an outlet and don’t see it happening,” Hayden said during the one-hour town hall meeting of the Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship. There were about 75 people present.

“That’s why meetings like this are important,” she said. “Most people don’t know what’s happening. If we don’t show up, these extremists will hand everything over to them. The problem with extremists is that they are committed, while the more reasonable majority fall short because we are not as committed, loud and consistent. That’s where we need to be better.”

She added, “I think we’re afraid of being loud. If you sit in a room with one of the pro-book censors, you won’t look like one of the irrational ones.”

According to the EveryLibrary Institute, Alabama is one of 17 states trying to change obscenity laws to include librarians, educators and museums. Only one state – Arkansas – has passed legislation that could lead to the criminalization of librarians. That law led to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of eighteen plaintiffs who challenged the new law as a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. because it existed as “a content-based restriction on speech that is not specifically tailored, is overbroad, and is vaguely worded.”

Hayden said she believes the lawsuit, or others, will likely go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“It’s probably inevitable,” she said. “I don’t think they will stop. Here too we are stubborn ladies. We have no intention of stopping.”

HB4’s sponsor in Alabama, state Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, did not return a request for comment. Similar legislation died during the waning days of the legislative session last spring.

No one from Baldwin County’s legislative delegation — all Republicans — attended the town hall to which they were invited.

Local regulations

Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, said he would prefer that regulation of libraries be handled at the local level and not enforced through the state.

Elliot is the sponsor of SB6, a bill he introduced this summer that would give city councils and county commissions more flexibility in removing library board members. The legislation provides that a board member can be removed by a two-thirds vote of his respective appointing authority.

“I love Arnold Mooney and appreciate where he comes from. I just love the idea of ​​setting these types of policies in the Capitol,” Elliott said of HB4 in an interview with AL.com. He was not present at the town hall meeting.

“It should be determined by local officials,” Elliott said. “I’m more of a small government guy and we don’t have to make rules in Montgomery about what’s in the local library. Let’s let each place decide what is or is not okay.”

Regarding SB6Elliott said it involves installing “guardrails” and alerting library officials about what is appropriate content in the public locations. He also said that unlike other state boards in Alabama, a locally elected board does not have the ability to fire an Alabama library board member.

“When there’s a lack of accountability in government, that’s always a bad thing,” Elliott said. “All we’re trying to do is provide a path to accountability, with some guardrails around it. I think this is the most reasonable approach to the legitimate concerns (about library content).”

Substantive questions

Elizabeth Williams, the organizer of the Baldwin County chapter of Read Freely Alabama, questions whether the content that organizations like Moms for Liberty and Clean Up Alabama find objectionable is problematic at all.

Books that have been challenged or removed from libraries across Alabama were on display at the town hall meeting. This included books with an LGBTQ theme, as well as books by famous authors such as Kurt Vonnegut and Judy Blume.

Williams said none of the books contain pornographic material. She said books in the adult sections were questioned in some cases.

One of the books that has been disputed is titled: ‘The Southernization of America: a story about democracy in balance’ by journalists Cynthia Tuckman and Frye Galliard, which is not about LGBTQ issues but is described as a “powerful series of essays on the South’s role in America’s long descent into Trumpism.”

“It’s not about putting the books on the shelf or protecting the children, it’s about rolling back the progress that marginalized people have made and accurately defining who should be seen as an acceptable person in the public space.” , Hayden said. “That’s what it’s all about. Point.”

Representatives for Moms for Liberty did not respond to requests for comment. Clean Up Alabama was also not immediately available for comment.