Bryan Fischer
Big win for Idaho families: porn books pulled off Nampa library shelves
By Bryan Fischer
The Nampa Library Board yesterday voted 3-2 to pull two pornographic books off library shelves and sequester them in the library director's office, a move which will make the library safer for Nampa families and their children.
One book, "The Joy of Gay Sex," features profanity, vivid visual depictions of virtually every variety of homosexual sex, and includes a chapter entitled "Daddy-Son Sex Fantasies." It also urges minors to peruse pornography on the internet and learn how to hide their tracks from their folks.
Naturally, the librarian, Karen Ganske, wanted to be sure this book was available to young children because of its educational value.
Both of these books satisfy the definition in Idaho law of material which cannot be distributed to children because it is "harmful to minors." Ludicrously, Idaho code exempts librarians and teachers from this law, meaning the two professions who can freely distribute material harmful to minors in Idaho are the two professions which have the most daily contact with children.
If an ordinary citizen hands "The Joy of Gay Sex" to a child, he goes to jail for six months. If a librarian does it, she gets an award from the American Library Association.
Library staff admitted during questioning from the board that only two other libraries in the state even carry this book, so it's not exactly a must-have for community libraries. Plus, the "Gay Sex" book has only been checked out seven times since it's been on the shelves, so it's not exactly a must-read for Nampans.
One adult who testified in favor of keeping the book available to young children said that when she herself looked at the book, it "turned her stomach." She apparently did not stop to think about how such content might affect an impressionable young child.
Others who argued for keeping gay porn within reach of young kids argued we must do so to protect freedom of choice, apparently oblivious to the fact that what they were trying to do was to keep the Nampa Library Board from exercising its own freedom of choice, the choice to remove the books from open circulation.
Some likened removal of the books to book burning, heedless of the fact that the book is available to any adult through interlibrary loans, at multiple Treasure Valley bookstores, and for purchase through Amazon.com for less than two bucks.
This is not a matter of censorship, but a matter of selection, moral decency, and making the library a safe environment for young children.
In fact, the library staff member who testified in favor of keeping gay porn on the shelves was representing the "Library Selection Team," the name itself a tacit admission that the library rejects books every single day for various reasons, one of which is the simple reason that the library does not have unlimited space.
Limited room means that the shelf space occupied by "The Joy of Gay Sex" was not available to another book which might actually have had some educational value and would not represent a danger to young children.
Kudos to Randy Jackson, the Nampa father who filed the complaint, to Nampa Mayor Tom Dale, who has appointed family-friendly members to the library board over the last several years, and to library board member Bruce Skaug, who was the lone board member to vote for removal of this book in 2006, and who made the motion to sequester the book yesterday.
As Mr. Jackson said, "This is a huge victory for our community." And, we might add, a huge victory for all Idaho families who care about the moral climate of the Gem State.
© Bryan Fischer
The Nampa Library Board yesterday voted 3-2 to pull two pornographic books off library shelves and sequester them in the library director's office, a move which will make the library safer for Nampa families and their children.
One book, "The Joy of Gay Sex," features profanity, vivid visual depictions of virtually every variety of homosexual sex, and includes a chapter entitled "Daddy-Son Sex Fantasies." It also urges minors to peruse pornography on the internet and learn how to hide their tracks from their folks.
Naturally, the librarian, Karen Ganske, wanted to be sure this book was available to young children because of its educational value.
Both of these books satisfy the definition in Idaho law of material which cannot be distributed to children because it is "harmful to minors." Ludicrously, Idaho code exempts librarians and teachers from this law, meaning the two professions who can freely distribute material harmful to minors in Idaho are the two professions which have the most daily contact with children.
If an ordinary citizen hands "The Joy of Gay Sex" to a child, he goes to jail for six months. If a librarian does it, she gets an award from the American Library Association.
Library staff admitted during questioning from the board that only two other libraries in the state even carry this book, so it's not exactly a must-have for community libraries. Plus, the "Gay Sex" book has only been checked out seven times since it's been on the shelves, so it's not exactly a must-read for Nampans.
One adult who testified in favor of keeping the book available to young children said that when she herself looked at the book, it "turned her stomach." She apparently did not stop to think about how such content might affect an impressionable young child.
Others who argued for keeping gay porn within reach of young kids argued we must do so to protect freedom of choice, apparently oblivious to the fact that what they were trying to do was to keep the Nampa Library Board from exercising its own freedom of choice, the choice to remove the books from open circulation.
Some likened removal of the books to book burning, heedless of the fact that the book is available to any adult through interlibrary loans, at multiple Treasure Valley bookstores, and for purchase through Amazon.com for less than two bucks.
This is not a matter of censorship, but a matter of selection, moral decency, and making the library a safe environment for young children.
In fact, the library staff member who testified in favor of keeping gay porn on the shelves was representing the "Library Selection Team," the name itself a tacit admission that the library rejects books every single day for various reasons, one of which is the simple reason that the library does not have unlimited space.
Limited room means that the shelf space occupied by "The Joy of Gay Sex" was not available to another book which might actually have had some educational value and would not represent a danger to young children.
Kudos to Randy Jackson, the Nampa father who filed the complaint, to Nampa Mayor Tom Dale, who has appointed family-friendly members to the library board over the last several years, and to library board member Bruce Skaug, who was the lone board member to vote for removal of this book in 2006, and who made the motion to sequester the book yesterday.
As Mr. Jackson said, "This is a huge victory for our community." And, we might add, a huge victory for all Idaho families who care about the moral climate of the Gem State.
© Bryan Fischer
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