Louisiana AG releases report on 'sexually-explicit' content in public libraries

William Taylor Potter, Lafayette Daily Advertiser
·4 min read
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Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry unveiled a new report — titled the “Protecting Innocence Report” — on Tuesday, which includes a list of books his office considers to be “sexually explicit” or inappropriate for children.

Landry, a Republican, has been at the forefront of the controversial move to keep some books out of the hands of children, with his efforts including setting up a tip-line where people could report books to the state. During a press conference on Tuesday, Landry pushed back against criticisms that he was trying to ban books or target specific groups with the report.

The full report is available on the Attorney General’s website.

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“I welcome parents, guardians, librarians, lawmakers, local officials to read and view this report and decide for themselves and decide if the information it contains, if they believe this sexually-explicit material is appropriate for all children,” Landry said. “Because what we have in this report is some of the findings of the materials that we found in public libraries in Louisiana.”

Landry, who is running for governor in 2023, was joined at the press conference by State Rep. Julie Emerson of Carencro and State Sen. Heather Cloud of Turkey Creek, both Republicans. Cloud has filed a bill in the legislature that would set new requirements for how public libraries handle material deemed sexually explicit.

Cloud’s bill, Senate Bill 7 in the 2023 regular session, would require libraries to have a card system that allows parents to indicate whether their children can check out sexually explicit material. The bill also states that the libraries consider the “community standards for the population served by the library” when accepting a donation or buying materials.

Any library that does not implement policies outlined by the bill would not be able to get approval from the state’s bond commission for projects, and parish and local governments could withhold payments from the library if it does not follow the bill’s policies.

Cloud likened the books listed in the report to “Penthouse” magazine, though many of the books — including one by Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Toni Morrison — have won a number of critical awards.

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“You know and I know that we don’t want that 10 year-old walking into a library with that full-access card and be able to check out something like ‘Penthouse’ magazine,” Cloud said. “We want that child to have a card that gives him access to content that’s age-appropriate for him in the children’s section.”

Peyton Rose, the executive director for Louisiana Trans Advocates, criticized Landry in a statement for not providing assurances that the bill would not be used to target and censor LGBTQ+ content.

"Ultimately, SB7 is an overreach of big government to decide what resources parish libraries can have available to their local community members," Rose said. "AG Landry should know best that censorship is not a Louisiana value, and bills like this chip away at our citizens' Freedom of Speech."

Groups like the St. Tammany Library Alliance and the Real Name Campaign also denounced the bill and Landry's efforts.

The report included model legislation and model policies for libraries, as well as information on how to challenge books at public libraries and school libraries.

The report also included a list of nine books as examples of what is considered sexually-explicit content, as well as some excerpts and illustrations from the books. Most of the books listed are generally written for young adults and older teenagers.

The list includes:

  • “Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel

  • “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe

  • “Breathless” by Jennifer Niven

  • “The Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison

  • “Blankets” by Craig Thompson

  • “The ‘V’ Word” by Amber Keyser

  • “Jack of Hearts” by L.C. Rosen

  • “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson

  • “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison

Several of the books included as examples have been targeted by book banning campaigns throughout the country, though Landry repeatedly said the initiative was not about banning books. He said he wants libraries to institute policies where parents can have more control over what materials their children see.

Many of the books listed also deal with LGBTQ+ issues. Landry said the campaign was not about prohibiting materials about specific sexual orientations or gender, but about the presence of explicit descriptions or images.

“Nowhere in this report do we call for the censoring or banning of books,” Landry said. “This is about what is appropriate for children.”

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana AG releases report on 'sexually-explicit' books in libraries