Proposed bill would place 'sexually explicit' library books in restricted areas in Michigan

CHARLEVOIX — State Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) has proposed a bill that would require libraries to keep books with “obscene” or “sexually explicit” materials in a section separate from the general collection.

More:Millage fails for Michigan library defunded over LGBTQ books

More:'It must be stopped': ACLU issues warning on book bans in Michigan schools

House Bill 4136 restricts items deemed sexually explicit or obscene, and would move them to an adults-only section of public libraries that would be inaccessible to anyone under the age of 18. The bill acts as an amendment to the Library Privacy Act and uses the definitions of "sexually explicit matter" and "obscene" in MCLs 722.673 and 752.362, respectively, according to Friske.

“My office has received an outpouring of calls from constituents who are angered at the content found in the children’s sections of their local libraries,” Friske said. “This is a genuine concern for folks in my district, and my bill aims to keep children across the state safe.

“This bill does not ban libraries from having specific books or genres of books, nor does it discriminate against any individuals. The bill simply places content containing things like pornographic images to an area of the library reserved specifically for adults. This is common sense legislation. It is crucial that the children of Michigan be protected everywhere they go — obscenity in front of minors is traumatic and should never be permitted.”

However, according to Northland Library Cooperative Director Linda Adams, public libraries already don’t contain obscene materials, according to the specific definition of obscene in the Michigan Obscene Materials Act of 1984.

“We can’t buy obscene materials. They don’t exist in public libraries,” Adams said.

The cooperative is a resource sharing network of 24 public libraries in northern Michigan.

“Public libraries serve the public and we buy materials for the whole of the public,” Adams said. “We have materials that some people would find objectionable but would help other people."

Adams said each public library has a “materials challenge policy” that enables members of the public to notify the library if they have a problem with one of the books in their collection.

"Anybody can object to anything," Adams said. "That's free speech."

One book that Friske takes issue with is called “Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships and Being a Human” by Erica Moen. Amazon describes the graphic novel as a “go-to handbook for every teen” that “covers relationships, friendships, gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, sexting, jealousy, rejection, sex education and more.”

"There are going to be things in my collection that you might not like, but you don’t have to check that out," said Val Meyerson, director of the Petoskey District Library.

"If a parent is concerned about what a kid is reading, they shouldn’t let them go to the library by themselves. They should go with them and help them select books. It’s all about parental control and parental rights."

Friske is proposing that parents accompany minors into the restricted areas to check out the material and rejects criticism the bill infringes on First Amendment rights.

“I’m not advocating to remove a single book from the library or take it out of circulation. I’m just asking it to be confined to an area where kids don’t have access to it because right now they do," he said.

Both Adams and Meyerson emphasized the importance of communication.

“If you get complaints about something in our library, I’d like to know about it so we can address it directly,” Meyerson said.

Subscribe:Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage

Before the bill was introduced, Adams scheduled a meeting with Friske to discuss what the cooperative does. She hopes there'll be an opportunity to discuss the proposed legislation.

Friske said taxpayers have a right to take an interest in the region's library collections, referring to several conservative township boards in his district that have expressed concern over the issue.

"Our tax dollars are helping fund those libraries," he said.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Proposed bill would place 'sexually explicit' library books in restricted areas in Michigan