MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Public Library Service Board considered a proposal Thursday that would modify APLS code to deem reading material that encourages, promotes or contains positive portrayals of transgender procedures, gender ideology or the concept of more than two genders inappropriate for children.
The proposal was introduced by APLS Board member Amy Minton, who called it a “working document” for the board to potentially consider at a future meeting. Minton said the proposal would help the APLS be in compliance with recently adopted state and federal laws, including the What is a Woman Act, which codifies the definition of men and women, signed into law in February.
“We do have executive orders and laws in the state of Alabama that we do have to follow, and so having children’s books that go against our state laws or against executive orders is inappropriate for children,” Minton said.
Minton also cited two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” and “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which affirm U.S. policy to both oppose gender transition surgery for minors and to recognize only two sexes as determined at birth, respectively.
John Wahl, the chair of both the APLS Board and the Alabama Republican Party, said he needed to read more about Minton’s proposal.
Currently, the APLS has modified its code to require public libraries to remove reading material from children’s sections that contains either obscenity, sexually explicit content, or material deemed inappropriate for children, the latter of which can include illegal drug use or intense violence.
Public libraries are also required under APLS code to offer a youth library card option, where parents can choose whether their children can have access to the entire library or only the youth section.
Fairhope Public Library recently had its state funding paused by the APLS Board after complaints about books in the library’s youth section, including “Sold,” a National Book Award finalist about a girl sold into sexual slavery in India. Questions arose about what constitutes “sexually explicit content,” and so on Thursday, the board also voted to adopt an explicit definition.
“While I personally think ‘sexually explicit’ is fairly clear, we wanted to ensure libraries had specific definitions and guidance when reviewing their collections,” Wahl told members of the media. “That way, they know exactly what needs to be removed from children’s sections to comply with the law.”
Fairhope Public Library’s funding remains paused, Wahl confirmed, though the library is currently reviewing challenged books, with Wahl saying he’s hopeful for a “positive resolution.”
Nevertheless, dozens of Alabamians, many of them from Fairhope, signed up to speak during Thursday’s meeting in opposition to the funding pause, many of whom chastised the board for its actions.
“What a child reads is not your decision to make, that responsibility lies with parents and guardians; not this board, not politicians, and certainly not outsiders unfamiliar with the needs of individual families,” said Criag Scott, director of the Gadsden Public Library and past president of the Alabama Library Association. “The role of this board is not to serve as a moral traffic cop, waiving some books through while sidelining others.”
Wahl told Scott he found his comments “offensive,” and defended the APLS Board’s support for libraries across the state.
“I personally went to the state Legislature and found guaranteed funding so local libraries would not have to risk losing at the federal level their grants,” Wahl said, referencing an additional $3 million he had requested of the Legislature to include in the 2026 Education Trust Fund budget.
“There was not a single thank you there, and to say that this board does not stand up for local libraries and does not fight for them is offensive.”
While the vast majority of the well over 30 speakers spoke in opposition to the APLS Board’s efforts to impose access restrictions on certain reading materials, some stood behind the board. Ted Halley, who previously underwent male-to-femail transition surgeries, called ideologies promoting gender transitions “dangerous,” and championed the board for their work.
Wahl pushed back on some of the stated concerns, and said libraries had a clear and simple path to avoid defunding.
“If libraries are worried about defunding, there’s a very simple solution; it is in your hands,” he said.
“It is not us who are defunding you, it is your choice to intentionally disobey state code, the only thing that would cause defunding. …We protect our children, it’s what we do as a society. We’ve always done it, and to say that this is some kind of new agenda from this board is ridiculous.”