COLUMBIA - Educators across the state will soon have to remove certain visually and sexually "explicit" books and materials from the shelves of libraries. However, the new law is receiving pushback for its control over schools.
Senate Bill 775 would make it a class A misdemeanor for school officials to provide this content to students in private or public Missouri schools, with exceptions for artistic and scientific significance. Violators would face a year in jail or a $2,000 fine.
It's part of a new law that protects the identity of victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in court proceedings and modifies the Sexual Assault Survivor's Bill of Rights. It also strengthens protections against sexual exploitation of minors.
Sen. Rick Brattin (R-District 31) says he proposed this amendment to the bill with the goal of protecting children.
"We need to protect the innocence of our youth," Sen. Brattin said. "They need to be educated, but they don't need to have their innocence destroyed at young ages."
However, some worry that this amendment to the bill will not protect children, but instead, prevent intellectual freedom.
The Missouri Library Association released a statement saying, in part: "Working to criminalize librarianship and intimidate library and school boards into damaging their own institutions is a poor strategy long term, since doing so is a transparent effort to use moral panic as an opportunity to gain vulgar political ground. This ultimately serves no one."
Sen. Brattin says the law targets visual depictions of sex acts and should be obvious to educators.
"You know it when you see it," Sen. Brattin said. "The school districts have the capability to be able to look and know and read what they're reading is sexually explicit material, hardcore pornography."
When asked for a list of books defined as "sexually explicit", Sen. Brattin's team responded to KOMU 8 News with this list:
- Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
- Dead End by Jason Myers
- Gender Queer: A Memoir
- All Boys Aren’t Blue
Not all of these are visually explicit per the law's requirements and would not be affected.
Yellow Dog Bookshop in Columbia had three of these books in stock: Fun Home, Gender Queer and All Boys Aren't Blue. All three of the books were shelved in the LGBTQ+ Studies section.
When asked if the bill targeted LGBTQ+ authors and content, Sen. Brattin said the accusation is ridiculous.
"Sexually explicit material, regardless of the sexual inclination behind it is what's prohibited in this," Sen. Brattin said. "Whether it's heterosexual activity or homosexual activity, it's prohibited to be taught before kids."
The law goes into effect Aug. 28.
