The Alabama Public Library Service Board will have a public hearing this morning on a proposed rule change that would restrict from youth sections of libraries any books that positively portray transgender procedures or gender ideology.
A public comment period on the proposed administrative rule change ended earlier this month.
The full rule says … “any material that promotes, encourages, or positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders shall be considered inappropriate for children and youth…”
“The goal of this amendment is to ensure our libraries remain safe, family-friendly spaces for families across the state of Alabama,” John Wahl, chairman of the board, said in a written statement. Wahl is also chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to the library board in 2022.
“The APLS Board is committed to keeping our libraries focused on education and encouraging reading, while respecting parental rights and protecting children from sexual content.”
Earlier this year, advocates for the rule change said it is needed to comply with state law and executive orders from President Donald Trump.
Read Freely Alabama, a group that advocates against any censorship of libraries, calls the proposed rule change “massive government overreach, unconstitutional and a direct attack on the freedom to read.”
The board administers state and federal funds to community libraries. Last year, the board banned sexually explicit and obscene materials from libraries’ children’s sections. It’s voted to withhold funding from those that don’t comply.
The wording could be modified at today’s meeting. There would then be a review period before the rule went into effect.
The meeting is at 10 a.m. today at the board’s Montgomery headquarters.