As some of you may know, The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library has now restricted access to at least 4 books about sexuality. This decision was made by the library's Board of Trustees in a vote of 5-3 (as of this past Thursday, I believe). The restrictions created directly affect minors. Now, because of this new rule, young people will have fewer resources to understand sexuality, which is a fundamental aspect of the humanity. The books being restricted are: 1.) The Lesbian Kama Sutra 2.) The Joy of Gay Sex, 3.) Sex for Busy People: The Art of the Quickie for Lovers on the Go; and 4.) The Joy of Sex. Some more thoughts, reflections and questions to you follow below the fold...
In looking at the titles of above, you'll notice that the books being restricted are texts that lean towards the more liberal (i.e., queer, non-mainstream, lesbigay variety of sex), even though The Joy of Sex is a very common text in the larger library of sexuality studies. Critics of this decision are calling this move - "a way to keep lesbian and gay sexuality out of reach from minors." In other words, if we are to read between the lines -- I'd say that the Topeka library board (and its community) is afraid that libraries hold the power to transform minors into lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Yet, it seems that no one has considered - aren't these texts helpful to young people who are questioning their sexuality, or looking for resources? Isn't this just really a policing of sexuality?
But there are other things to consider here too. Over at The Wichita Eagle, they're reporting the AP version of these events & news (I tried to find more news about this, but there isn't much yet):
Access to four books about sex, including "The Lesbian Kama Sutra," will be restricted at the city's public library after a woman complained about them being available on the shelves with other health books.
The library's Board of Trustees voted Thursday night to prevent minors from having access to the books after reviewing the complaint. Topeka resident Kim Borchers called them "harmful to minors."
Harmful to minors? What? Apparently, the act of providing helpful, clear information about subjects that are typically silenced in the mainstream world now consitutes danger and injury. So you may ask -- Who is it that brought this complaint forward against these books? It's the same resident from above - Kim Borchers, who is a member of a community group:
Borchers, who leads a group called Kansans for Common Sense Policy, contends the books would be considered harmful under a law against promoting obscenity to minors.
Obscenity? Although I'm not a librarian, I have to ask you all - Is this fair to the readers and LGBTQ communities in Kansas? What does this "restricted access" say about the state of libraries and about the sexualities of minors in Topeka, Kansas? Is this restricted access the same as "banning" or if not, is it just as bad? It remains unclear as of yet - how the library will handle this "restricted access." As the article shows, the library is still just beginning to reconcile what the implications are for this.
One of my concerns is - Where does it stop? As Gina Millsap, the library's executive director, in the article states, there are over 600 books about sexuality in the library. Who's to say that they're not going to be next on the chopping block? Of course, the article suggests that Borchers won't pursue anymore books (as of now), but I worry still. Now, I understand that this is Kansas that we're talking about, and it's their community, but I still have concern for the struggles that youth experience. Isn't this restriction on sexual information - one of the very problems that kept people misinformed during the 1980s and 90s when the HIV/AIDS pandemic was killing off people across the country?
Personally, I feel that this "restricted access" phenomenon can only lead to problems because: How can minors be expected to learn anything when their parents won't talk to them about sex, and the libraries shut them out, and they have to rely on rumors and less than reliable advice?
So then, I don't presume that I know best for this library, but I am very, very concerned about what this means for minors who want to know. If you're interested in sharing your thoughts, you can contact the libary Here, which has a comment form and other means of contact. If you do contact them, I ask you be gentle with your words and constructive. So now onto the poll & your thoughts...
UPDATE: Anarchofascist has done some digging (Thanks!) and found the Local Story about the decision to restrict access to these books. And here's the Link to the photos from the Board of Trustees' Meeting. And I should say thanks to sboucher for pointing out that not all of the librarians in this library felt that these books should be restricted. In fact, several of them were outraged, just like many of us. This is a good point to keep in mind. Thanks for your feedback, folks!